


Faith

by Owaranai



Category: Naruto
Genre: Character Death, Conflict, F/M, Falling In Love, Lemon, Ninja, Oral Sex, Romance, Romanticism, Sex, Vaginal Sex, War, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:33:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24879253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owaranai/pseuds/Owaranai
Summary: Two teenagers from different realities meet and fall in love.Among the daily problems, the transition from youth to adulthood, the loss of loved ones, a war and accidents along the way, will their love survive?
Relationships: Akimichi Chouji/Karui, Akimichi Chouza & Nara Shikaku & Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku & Nara Yoshino, Nara Shikaku/Nara Yoshino, Nara Shikamaru/Original Female Character(s), Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Sarutobi Asuma/Yuuhi Kurenai
Comments: 12
Kudos: 59





	1. The day it all started

_“Nothing prepares you for the moment when you meet the person who’s going to change your life.  
I’m not talking here about meeting someone and falling in love and deciding to start a family and all that.  
I’m talking about meeting a person who alters, deep down, the way you look at life,  
and sets you off on a totally unexpected path.”  
_

_\- Edward Canfor_

It was a cool spring day, Shikamaru and Asuma were in an old pub sitting opposite to each other, with a drink next to them and the shogi chessboard in front of them.

It was now about an hour that the two were focused on the game, when, at one point, Asuma caught Shikamaru's attention with his eyes. Slowly he moved his gaze towards the counter of the pub adding softly:

"Did you notice that person sitting at the counter?"

"Yes" the boy replied "it's twenty good minutes that he is staring at us"

The person concerned was wearing a dark cloak, perhaps to shelter from the rain that felt that morning on the village, and was sitting comfortably with a beer in one hand and the face turned towards the two. Since he wore a hood, neither ninja would have known who that person was.

Shikamaru returned his gaze to the chessboard and prepared to make his move, when Asuma jumped up without giving him any explanation. The boy stood looking at him questioningly as he headed towards the mysterious figure, and watched him carefully as he exchanged a few words with the latter. Unfortunately, they were too far away and the young ninja could not grasp even a word of that speech.

After few minutes Asuma turned to him and with a toothy smile he waved him goodbye, leaving the pub quickly and without any explanation. Shikamaru found himself perplexed, staring at the entrance door, hoping that his teacher would reappear with some explanation, but he seemed disappear.

While he was sitting at the table thinking about what to do, the mysterious figure got up from the counter and walked towards him, making him more and more perplexed.

"Hi" the stranger began.

It was a gentle voice, he immediately realized that the person in front of him was a young woman.

"Hi" he replied, halfway between the confused and the embarrassed.

The girl sat down at the table without taking her eyes off him, then took a look at the chessboard and finally began to speak.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Naomi, I arrived last week in the village and I apologize if I spent a good half hour staring at you and your friend, I realize only now that it may have seemed disturbing" to those words a crystalline laugh came out of her mouth, and she continued:

"Actually, I have read something about this game but I never played it, so I was curious to try it ... Would you like to play with me?" She said that like it was the most natural thing in the world to ask a stranger in a pub to play a game with you.

Lost in his thoughts Shikamaru was silent: how should he behave in such a situation? And why did his sensei left him alone with no explanation?

The girl waited a few minutes, then caught his attention by clearing her throat.

"You know, it would be nice to know what your name is" and he glimpsed a corner of her mouth in the semi-darkness of the hood bending into a smile.

‘Mendokusai!' The young man thought, promising to getting back at his teacher. However, having nothing else to do that afternoon, he decided to give up to the girl’s request: he introduced himself and began to review with her the names and the functions of the various pieces. Shikamaru noticed with pleasure that she was learning quickly and, while playing a few games to practice, Naomi filled him with questions about the village and its inhabitants. Since she had moved there the week before and had not yet met anyone, she took the opportunity to gather as much information as possible from the boy, who however limited himself to monosyllabic answers, rarely explaining himself with a whole sentence. Naomi, who was very perceptive, immediately understood that the person in front of her was not exactly the most energetic person in the village, but something in his way of doing aroused interest in her and she hoped that this could only be the first of many encounters.

For his part, Shikamaru had to admit that spending the afternoon in this way had been more pleasant than he expected.

When it was dark outside the young ninja began to pick up the pieces, telling the girl that his parents were waiting for him for dinner.

"Sorry, I didn't realize it was already so late!"

"Don’t worry, then see you around!" he said walking towards the exit of the pub.

Before he could get out Naomi yelled after him:

"Tomorrow at the same time?"

Shikamaru turned around making a sign of approval with his hand. Then he left for home, while a slight smile painted on his face.

After that day the two teenagers spent a lot of time together. Whenever they had free times, they met in that pub and played shogi. Naomi was making progress day by day, pleasantly surprising Shikamaru. Having grown up far from the ninja lands she had had the opportunity to experience different realities, she was intelligent and had a particular and original way of reasoning, which Shikamaru, having grown up as a ninja, was not used to. Each game was a struggle: initially the boy was advantaged by the experience but, as their games increased, Naomi became more and more familiar with the chessboard. She had already managed to get the genius into trouble a couple of times, despite the fact that he always won in the end.

Although the young man's constant laziness, those games were fun and stimulating for him, and he was increasingly impressed and fascinated by the girl's abilities. However, there was something weird about Naomi: whenever they met, even on sunny days, she always wore the same rain cape. This strangeness of her, which the boy had not paid much attention to at the beginning, slowly began to attract his curiosity, but he took care not to let her know these thoughts of his.

One day, however, arrived at their usual meeting, they found the pub closed. The owner had attached a note at the entrance writing that he would not open the pub that day due to illness. Naomi then proposed to go to her house, that was not far away, and so they did.

After passing the entrance of Naomi’s apartment, Shikamaru found himself in a room surrounded by shelves full of books on two of the four walls and a big window illuminated an old huge desk covered with volumes, sheets and rolls. He looked around carefully, lingering on every corner of that room, and at that moment he realized how little he knew about her.

Naomi noticed his silence and asked him if was everything okay.

"I was thinking…" the boy replied absently, and approached the papers on the desk, taking a look: there were sketches of anatomical parts, scrolls of medicine and other volumes in a language he did not know.

"I work as a doctor at Konoha hospital" she explained.

"But you're not a ninja" he said distractedly.

"It is not only the ninjas who need treatment, I take care of people who do not have chakra" she replied.

Shikamaru nodded in response.

"And these?" he asked indicating volumes.

"It is Tibetan, when I was younger I lived several years in a village run by Tibetan monks and I learned their language. Before coming here, I took exams for teaching qualification. When I'm not working at the hospital, I give lessons at university to supplement my income"

Shikamaru felt almost an idiot for having judged her too quickly: when in fact, a few days before, the girl had left in the middle of a game saying to be late for a lesson, he involuntarily thought she was a student who weighed on her parents’ shoulders. In that moment he realized that he hadn't really understood anything about her.

But now that she had begun to talk a little bit about herself there was another thing that Shikamaru wanted to ask her. He took a breath and began without too many rethinking:

"Why do you always wear a rain cape?"

"And why do you tie your hair like it's a pineapple?" she replied laughing.

She was trying to avoid the question and this only increased Shikamaru's curiosity, who would not have given up without an answer, so he insisted again.

"What do you think about the reason why I do that?" Naomi asked.

"And how am I supposed to know that ?!"

Silence.

"Come on, let's hear, why?" he pressed her.

"Shikamaru, by now it's about a month we know each other ... What do you think of me?"

He thought about it for a while, then he said:

"I think you are a very intelligent and nice person" the boy blushed slightly after hearing those words coming out of his mouth.

"Thank you. You know, the problem is that people often judge others only by their external appearance and I didn't want that to happen to me too. I want others to know me first for who I really am"

Shikamaru did not understand why her appearance would ever have to bring her to do such a thing, but he was too curious to finally see her, so he spoke:

"Well, I know you by now, and there is nobody else here ..."

His curiosity was at the limit.

Naomi knew she could trust him by now and so she untied the lace of her cloak, while the boy's tension in observing his movements was rising. Then the cloak fell to the ground with a dull thud which Shikamaru paid no attention to, kidnapped by something else. Under that piece of cloth was a wonderful girl who was looking him straight in the eye. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He remained silent to contemplate her, dwelling on every detail: she had very long, wavy black hair, thin and pinky lips, a beautiful white skin and a gorgeous body. But the thing that struck him most were her silver-colored eyes, in which the moon seemed to be reflected.

Embarrassed by the insistent looks of the ninja, she headed for the kitchen table to make some space for the chessboard. The ninja continued to stare at her, enraptured by her movements, and he understood that the reason why she did not show her face was that she feared to not be taken seriously: she did not want her appearance to come before her intelligence, and he could understand this.

That day they didn’t play shogi: Naomi had shown her true self to Shikamaru and now he felt like he had to do the same. After all, they could now consider themselves friends, he had nothing to lose in talking a little about himself, so he let himself go. He told her about his team, his family and his friends, describing in detail every one of them. His descriptions were so vivid that it seemed to Naomi to have Shikamaru's friends in front of her. She could realize from his stories how much the boy was closed to his family and his team and, just for a moment, the thought of being part of that big family also caressed her mind.

From that day on they began to find themselves at Naomi's house, not only to play, but also and above all to talk: they vented each other on their work, laughed, joked, talked about the people they had to deal with ...  
By now they spent so much time together that Shikamaru's friends began to become suspicious, first of all Ino, who insistently asked his teammate what he was doing after training and every time she received no answer.

This was how they get to know each other and their friendship began.

None of this would have ever been possible without Asuma's gimmick: a man who was for Shikamaru more than a teacher, who had taught him everything he knew about the way of the ninja, who had saved his life countless times, who had shared with him the passion for shogi, and who always spurred him to do his best.  
A man who, unfortunately, was no longer with them.


	2. Desperation

_In days like this one, often_   
_darkness assails me_   
_and living hour by hour_   
_tortures me._   
_But then you come,_   
_defeating boredom_   
_with your colorful speeches._   
_Even today we will look for a glimmer._   
_A word that can save us_   
_and keep us in balance_   
_over the ideal border_   
_between reality and imagination._   
_And it will, even for a while,_   
_change our existence._

_\- Eugenio Montale*_   
  


Shikamaru, Choji and Ino had returned to the village carrying their sensei’s lifeless body on their shoulders.

After facing a long meeting with the Hokage, Shikamaru had given the sad news to Kurenai, and was now returning home. He walked alone in the streets of Konoha. Alone, with his pain. Now there was no one next to him, no one to show to be strong, no one to comfort, no one asking for explanations. He felt the weight of the world on him. He collapsed in the middle of the road and remained in that position for endless minutes, struggling to breathe.

Then a flash. He saw her image, her smiling face. And then he tried to swallow as much air as possible and with trembling knees he stood up, turned and began to run. Running towards the house of that girl he had known only a few months before but who had conquered him in a short time, so much so that he could no longer be without her.

Naomi was sitting at the table and was filling in some documents for the hospital, when she heard a knock on the door: it must have been Shikamaru, nobody else knew her address, but the knocks on the door were different than usual, stronger and more nervous. She opened uncertainly. In front of her the boy looked horrible, she immediately understood that there was something wrong.

He looked at her with an empty expression, gasping hard.

She hesitantly asked in a low voice:

"How did the mission go?"

Those words hit him like boulders.

A tear ran down his face.

Staring at the floor he said:

"Asuma is dead"

A few words, simple and concise, said almost mechanically, which left Shikamaru, if possible, emptier than before, while Naomi, in shock, found it hard to re-elaborate the phrase.

Then she moved towards him with maddening slowness. She took him by the arm and pulled him closer holding him in an embrace, as strong as she could. The ninja's tears began to pour undeterred as the sobs grew louder and louder. The two teenagers, tight in a grip of pain, collapsed on the floor.

They stayed like this for an endless time, then Shikamaru calmed down and fell asleep exhausted. Naomi leaned her back against the entrance wall and remained there, stroking his hair, while a few tears streaked her face.

After a few hours Shikamaru opened his eyes bewildered, turned to the girl and immediately remembered everything that had happened. She tried to get up, forcing him to do the same. She took him by the hand and guided him to the bedroom to let him rest for a while. She let him sit down on the edge of the bed and took off his jacket, while he watched detached all her movements.

The tears shed a few hours earlier had completely emptied Shikamaru’s soul and he felt light years away from reality. Without knowing what he was doing, guided by instinct, the ninja grabbed Naomi’s hand and pulled the girl towards him. Their faces were so close that they could feel the other's breath on their lips, and his eyes were lost in those wonderful silver gems.

For some time now, some physical tension was beginning to be felt between the two, but both had tried to ignore it. Now, alone, with broken hearts, a whirlwind of emotions was trying to make its way out.

Their lips touched lightly, and then Shikamaru rushed over it, pressing with his tongue to enter. She offered no resistance. Their tongues moved in a frantic dance, while Shikamaru's hands made their way eagerly under her dress. Each fiber of the boy's body showed the urgency and the need for that contact, which soon after turned to be the pure desire to possess her body.

In what seemed to Naomi a few quick moments, the boy took her and slammed her on the bed, jumped on her and took off her dress, leaving her only with a pair of panties. He pounced on her neck, filling it with kisses and small bites, and went down to her breasts, lingering on her now turgid nipples, to then continue to descend even lower.

The situation was out of control and Naomi barely had time to realize what was going on. She had a minimum of self-control to think about the situation: exactly what had happened to her to fantasize about in the last few weeks was happening, yet she hadn't imagined it that way. The memory of Asuma and the doubt that Shikamaru was doing this to remove the pain he felt inside, to stop, even if for a short time, to think about it, blocked her. She wanted to react, stop Shikamaru and make him reasoning about it, but the fear that one of her actions could have been mistaken for a refusal, in such a fragile situation, held her back.

She was still uncertain about what to do, when the chills caused by the wake left by the ninja's tongue on her body thrown all her purposes away. She followed her instincts by grabbing Shikamaru's t-shirt, who in the meantime was nibbling her briefs, and took it off. He did the same with her panties and then he took off his own pants and boxers.

He kissed her again as he positioned himself between her legs, and then entered her firmly. Without hesitation vigorous and frenetic pushes followed one another, ever stronger. The moans of both of them came out uncontrolled, their tongues were looking for each other, while the rhythm of the embrace increased more and more. Neither of them thought of anything except enjoying that moment. Shikamaru, in his desperation, still increased the thrusts uncontrollably, until they were at the limit and together reached the pleasure, emptied of every thought and energy. He stayed a little longer inside her, with his head resting on her breasts. Then he slipped out and laid down beside her exhausted. He fell asleep soon after. Naomi took the sheet and covered them both, then curled up with her head on the chest of the dark hair boy and fell into a deep sleep.

She woke up the next morning more tired than the previous evening and suddenly realized that she was alone: Shikamaru and his clothes were gone.

Naomi paused to look out the window, and a lot of thoughts made their way into her head. A sense of anxiety and apprehension crept with arrogance into her soul.

The days passed, Shikamaru had just left the Hokage office with his team after reporting on the outcome of the mission in which, together with Kakashi sensei, they had killed Asuma’s assassins.

He thought he would feel better after his revenge, yet the only thing he perceived was fatigue. Tiredness, together with a pounding sense of emptiness in the background.

Choji and Ino, visibly destroyed, walked in silence behind Shikamaru, and they could not wait to get into their futon and sleep. They would have thought of metabolizing all the emotions, anger and suffering of those endless days once awakened.

Halfway Shikamaru suddenly stopped; the two friends asked him for explanations, but he did not seem to listen to them, lost in who knows what thoughts.

In those days he had been so absorbed in the preparations of the mission that he had no longer thought of Naomi, or rather, of what had happened the last time he saw her ... And now what was he supposed to do? He too, like the others, only wanted to sleep, yet something held him back: his brain and boy, exhausted, asked only for a comfortable mattress, but his instinct only wanted to see her. As if just looking at her could save him from all this, give him some peace.

Almost involuntarily he started walking again, but instead of going straight to his house, he turned left; he stopped for a moment and said to the two teammates:

"I have one thing to do, see you tomorrow" and then he quickened his pace.

The two were so tired that they didn't ask explanation for that weird behavior, immediately starting walking home.

Shikamaru was in front of Naomi's house, unsure of what to do. After some hesitation he knocked on the door and waited a few moments, but nothing seem to move inside the house.

'She must already be sleeping' he thought.

He was about to leave and had already turned his back on the entrance when the door opened. He did not even have time to turn around that something held him from behind: two thin white arms. They hugged him tight and didn't seem to want to let him go. After a few minutes in that position, Naomi let him go. He turned hesitantly, and he hardly had the courage to look her in the eyes.

"I missed you" the girl said, and in that moment all his embarrassment and guilt over what had happened a few nights before vanished. This time it was he who hugged her. He dipped his face into those lavender scent long black hair, and immediately calmed down.

They entered in silence and sat on the sofa, looking into each other's eyes. Both waited for the other to speak first. After gathering thoughts, or at least tempting to, Shikamaru told her of the outcome of the mission and apologized, without adding reasons. Naomi decided to face him and speak to him openly:

"Are you apologizing for having fucked with me or for having left a few hours later without even saying goodbye?"

Hit and sunk. He didn't even know how to replicate.

He cleared his throat and repeated:

"I'm sorry"

"Don't get me wrong" she replied. "I don't regret what happened, nor am I accusing you of something. The fact is that now I am fond of you" she took a deep breath and continued:

“While you were undressing, I was really tempted to stop you. I thought you were doing it just to forget for a few moments what had happened to Asuma. At the same time, however, I wanted to help you in some way, to help you by taking away even a small part of your pain"

And then she added all in one breath, blushing slightly:

"And if I have to say it all, I didn't stop you also because I didn't mind at all"

Shikamaru was impressed by the woman’s way of doing: so outspoken and without the fear of exposing her feelings, unlike instead any self-respecting ninja. Instinctively, he made a decision: to hell with the ninja precepts, she was not a ninja, with her he would have behaved as any other person would behave. To hell with suppress emotions, try to be indifferent or insensitive. He would have been loving and sincere with her, and would have kept his ninja character with others.

He put a hand behind her neck, through her hair, and pulled her close to him in a breathtaking kiss. It was so sweet and full of emotions that she was overwhelmed by it, unable to detach. So, she hugged his muscular shoulders and deepened the kiss. After several minutes they broke away, with shortness of breath and slightly red cheeks. Shikamaru took courage:

"I didn't do it for Asuma. Maybe for him too, but not just for him. I can't stay without you"

"Right now I'd have sex with you, but the dark circles under your eyes are begging me to let you sleep" she said laughing.

She made him sit with his head on her lap and, while she was stroking his hair, he fell asleep exhausted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Free translation of the poem “In giorni come questo, spesso” by the Italian poet Eugenio Montale.


	3. Rift

_“Is it possible, in the final analysis, for one human being to achieve perfect understanding of another?  
_ _We can invest enormous time and energy in serious efforts to know another person, but in the end,  
_ _how close can we come to that person’s essence?”_

_\- Haruki Murakami_

The following morning Shikamaru woke up, stretched himself and looked around: he was lying on Naomi's sofa with a blanket covering his shoulders. Remembering the previous evening, a slight smile crept into his face. He got up, driven by the need to pee, but approaching the door he felt a water pounding sound. Apparently, the girl was taking a shower, but his urge to urinate was so strong that he was forced to knock.

"Yes?"

"Sorry if I interrupt you, but I urgently need to use the bathroom"

"Come on in"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! Don't worry! Better you to get a glimpse behind the shower curtain than for me to find unpleasant surprises on my floor!" she said laughing.

Shikamaru then entered firmly, almost offended. He did what he had to do and headed for the exit. After passing the shower a hand grabbed him by the shirt, yanking it.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Naomi's face appeared from behind the curtain, a slight smile painted on it. She looked him in the eyes with intensity and after a few seconds asked him if he didn't feel the need to take a shower after that hard mission. It seemed an innocent question, but the slight malice she used to say those words did not escape the attentive ear of the young man, who was surprised by her provocation. He thought about the events of the evening before; he thought about her and how beautiful she was. How had he, eternal slackers, now found himself in such a situation with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen? Without having to repeat it twice, he hastily took off his clothes and slipped into the shower.

He stood still for a few seconds, contemplating her perfect body in ecstasy, while a sudden erection made its way between his legs. A pleased expression appeared on Naomi's face, and she was almost about to speak, when the dark-haired man dived on her lips not even letting her breathe. As he kissed her, he ran his hands along her entire body, exploring every inch and pushing her more and more against the shower wall. As a trail of wet kisses ran down her neck, Naomi reached out with one of her hand and freed Shikamaru's hair from the tie. He responded annoyed to that action by nibble one of her breast. His hair was now soaking wet on his shoulders and the girl started playing with it, while she stretched out her other hand between the ninja’s legs. She picked up the shaft and began small movements that caused the boy to moan with pleasure. Disappointed, however, by that slow work, he immediately went straight to the point: he embraced the woman's back with wanting hands until he reached the firm buttocks, which he grasped firmly, lifting her weight. He placed her over his erection and the girl clung with her arms to his neck and with her legs to his waist. She began to move up and down moaning, aided by his strong arms. The water continued to flow and Naomi was raptly watching the trail that left on the boy's chest muscles.

After endless minutes of that sweet intercourse, however, Naomi's leg muscles were aching, so she proposed to her partner a change of position, realizing with regret how that shower was too small for what they were doing. It was still Shikamaru who took the initiative: he guided her to the sink and, turned away, made her lean forward, helping herself with one hand to get inside her. Exploring her full breasts with his hands, he gradually increased the rhythm, indulged by the moans. In the meantime, the girl had planted her nails in one of Shikamaru’s butt cheek. The thrusts were getting deeper and more frenetic, the moans getting louder and more uncontrolled. She reached the orgasm and soon after he joined her too. They remained motionless for a few moments, contemplating themselves satisfied in the mirror in front of them.

Then they entered the shower together washing each other, while she continued to play insistently with his hair and he could not wait to dry and tie them again.

They came out of the shower that the room was flooded with steam, got dressed and Naomi prepared breakfast.

After eating, they went out, greeting each other at the front door with a long kiss. Naomi headed for the university and Shikamaru walked listlessly without any specific destination, lost in his thoughts. He tried to tidy up his head, trying to leave Naomi and the wonderful morning just ended aside for a moment. He needed to metabolize everything that had happened about his sensei's death. An unexpected series of events that, he perceived, would change him forever.

He went to the cemetery, bringing his greetings to Asuma, informing him that justice had been done and that he would give all he could to help Kurenai and raise his son in the best way.

He returned home that lunchtime had already passed. He entered the kitchen greeting his parents as nothing had happened. His mother, who was washing the dishes, and his father who was still sitting at the table, froze, turning stern glances towards him.

‘Those looks preannounce a telling-off; I should have imagined it and stayed away from this place’ the boy thought.

"Where have you been?" Yoshino asked.

"At Choji’s" he replied, trying to simulate his usual bored air.

His father punched on the table screaming:

“Since when did you start lying to your parents?! Choji passed by this morning, he wanted to know if you were okay since yesterday you run away without explanation!" he paused, then continued in the same stern tone that allowed no replies:

"Now answer your mother's question!"

"I am no longer a child" he replied, trying to remain calm.

"You're still our son!" his mother barked.

Shikaku retorted, adjusting the tone of voice, trying to be a little understanding:

"Shikamaru, you faced two Akatsuki members, you should have come home last night, at least to tell us that you were fine and safe. Your mother and I were worried. And we still are, given your behavior"

"I'm sorry if I made you worry but now I'm here and I'm fine"

"Are you sure you're okay?" his mother asked, this time with apprehension.

Shikamaru simply said:

"It will be fine" and went to his room without adding anything else.

Shikaku and Yoshino looked resigned and decided that for that day they would not put any more pressure on him.

The next day Kakashi, Shikamaru and his two teammates went to the Hokage office to deliver the documents regarding the mission just ended. Shikaku was also in the office; he was informing Tsunade of some developments about a top-secret mission. The two paused for a few moments and brought their attention to the newcomers.

"How's Kurenai doing?" Tsunade asked Shikamaru.

"I’m going to see her later" he replied.

"By now the whole village knew that those two were together, but who could have imagined that she is expecting a baby?" the old ninja asked in a bitter tone, perhaps more to herself.

Yeah, Asuma's son, Shikamaru thought. He would have protected that child at any cost. He would become his teacher, tell him about his father's courage and strength, and teach him everything that was taught to him. Shikamaru was still immersed in his thoughts and almost didn't notice Choji pulling the documents out of his hands to hand them to the Hokage. He thought back to that word: 'child' and shortly afterwards an expression of panic and disbelief painted on his face, worrying those present.

"What's wrong?" asked his father.

"I- I have to go!" the young man stammered and rushed to the exit, leaving everyone surprised.

“I don't recognize him anymore. His mother and I no longer know how to deal with him" Shikaku said in frustration.

"There have been so many changes one after the other ... you’ll see that it is only a matter of time, then he will get used to it" Kakashi encouraged him; while Ino, pensive, was looking for a way to find out what was going on with that pineapple head.

Meanwhile Shikamaru ran at breakneck speed towards Naomi's house.

'Fuck! How did I manage to be so idiotic to didn't think about it!’ He mentally cursed himself.

When he got to the door, he knocked impatient, but he heard no answer. He remembered that the previous morning the girl had given him a copy of the apartment keys. He pulled them out and went in to check but she wasn't there.

He knew she had no university classes on Thursday, so he went straight to Konoha hospital. Once he arrived, he asked for information to a nurse behind the counter, who however did not know where the doctor was. He began to wander through the corridors in a state of agitation, when finally, turning the corner, he found himself in front of her.

She saw him and asked puzzled:

"What are you doing here?"

"I have to talk to you!" He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her heavily into the first empty room he found.

“Shikamaru why are you so upset? What happened?"

"I am an idiot. I was so caught with the situation that I forgot a very important thing!"

She looked at him questioningly, understanding even less.

"Can I know what you're talking about?!"

"I ..." he paused, looking for the words.

"The two times we've been together ..."

"When we had sex?" she asked candidly.

"Yes ... I ... I completely forgot to use condoms!"

Here, he said it. He rid himself of a burden, but still half of it remained on his stomach.

"Maybe it's better if you do a check"

"There is no need" she replied calmly "if I knew you would be upset up to this point, I would have told you immediately that I take the pill"

He was dumbfounded for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.

They sat for a few seconds side by side, each immersed in their own thoughts. Then at some point Naomi said seriously:

"I have to talk to you about something"

Shikamaru looked at her curiously waiting for her to speak, but just then a nurse came in the room:

"Doctor! There is an emergency! "

"I’m coming!" then she added, turning to Shikamaru:

"We'll talk about it when I get home" and she ran away with the nurse.

Shikamaru spent a few moments mulling over those words, from the tone of her voice it seemed an important matter.

It was evening when Naomi came home exhausted. She just wanted to take a shower and get to sleep, but a sharp smell penetrated her nostrils: Shikamaru was smoking a cigarette sitting on one of the kitchen chairs. She remembered the discussion they left halfway through that day and was about to tell him that she was too tired to deal with the topic, but the ninja insisted.

"It seemed very serious and I spent the afternoon thinking about it, you can't leave me with doubt"

Naomi sighed resignedly.

"Okay, you won. I'm going straight to the point”

She paused for a moment, looking intently into his eyes and then continued:

"Shikamaru, if I can ask you ... would you want to have children?"

He was a little displaced by that sudden question and could not understand where she wanted to getting at, but he answered her sincerely:

"Well yes, not right now, of course, but in a few years, I would like to have children" he blushed slightly as he said it. Then he added:

"Why?"

The girl sat in front of him and looking him even more intensely in the eyes sighed and said:

"I don't want children"

The ninja was surprised by her statement.

"When I said I would like to have children in a few years I meant several years"

“A year or ten years makes no difference to me. I don't want children and I’ll never want them" she said firmly.

"Why?"

"Because I have too little faith in the world to have children" she said without hesitation, but Shikamaru could not understand what led her to think such a thing, so he asked her.

“There are many things you don't know about my past and I still don't feel ready to talk about it. I just want you to respect my silence" she said resolutely, but at the same time pain and sadness veiled her eyes. Shikamaru noticed it and, while she got up to go to take a shower, he remained motionless, not knowing what to say.

When Naomi came out of the bathroom, with the towel wrapped around her body and her hair soaked, Shikamaru had not yet moved from the chair continuing to rethink the discussion and trying to understand why the girl had brought out such an absurd speech. Naomi was about to speak when he preceded her:

“I don't understand why such a topic came out today, but above all, why you reacted that way. We are just kids, there are a bunch of other things we should think about now. This is a question we should defer to when we are more mature"

But she did not seem to want to hear reasons:

"Shikamaru, I prefer to make things clear: it does not make sense to continue our relationship, or whatever it is, if what you are looking for in a woman are children"

"I never said that! And then can I know why you think so?!" he raised his voice without realizing it.

Naomi now looked uncomfortable:

"Shikamaru, I like you, and a lot"

"I like you too, so I don't see where the problem is" he admitted without hesitation.

"The more we are together, the more we will become attached to each other. Then when you, in the future, take up the topic again, you will get the same answer of today from me, with the only difference that my guilty will be greater. If you want children you will be forced to look for them in another woman, so it is better to end it immediately. The more time passes the more painful it will be”

Her eyes barely held back the tears, but she didn't lower them, continuing to sustain the boy's gaze.

"I need time to think about it" Shikamaru replied holding back the anger. He got up and left the house.

Naomi stared at the door for a few minutes. Then she made his way to the bedroom, knowing that she would not sleep a wink that evening.

They had known each other for a few months now, and their relationship had practically just begun, even if she could not be sure on this since they had never brought out words such as "being together" or "loving each other". Yet when she was with that boy she was just fine, she felt herself. Not like other people with whom she had previously in a relationship with, who did nothing but keep her constantly under control and to worry only about themselves, without caring of the girl’s feelings and thoughts.

It was different with him, and she really hoped something more serious could born but that issue was something she cared about. She had promised herself that she would never, for any reason, bring children into the world, and this was one of the few things she would not give up on.

Or at least so she believed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Thank you for reading this story, what do you think about it so far? Do you have any comment or suggestion?  
> Let me know 😊


	4. Follow your heart

_“Of course I’ll hurt you. Of course you’ll hurt me.  
Of course we will hurt each other.   
But this is the very condition of existence.   
To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter.   
To become presence, means accepting the risk of absence.”_

_\- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry_

Shikamaru, thinking back to the night before, felt an acute anger and frustration rise in him. After all, Naomi was right: if she couldn't give him what he wanted, he would have to look for it somewhere else. However, he could not imagine a woman capable of replacing her. He put aside for a moment his thoughts, which were now making him headache, and went to visit Kurenai, but it seemed so stupid and insensitive to ask her how she was doing, it was obvious that she felt terribly. So, he sat down opposite to her and remained silent, watching out the window, looking for a topic of discussion, without too much success. It was the woman who broke the silence:

"Thanks for not asking me how I am doing"

"Thanks for doing the same"

“If you don't want to talk, we can stay here in silence. I'll make you tea if you like"

“No thanks, I'm okay. If you want to talk we can do it, otherwise it is fine for me to stay silent"

That conversation was becoming ridiculous.

They stared at the void for a few minutes, when Kurenai finally seemed to have found a topic of conversation to get out of that embarrassing silence.

"Shikamaru, I would like to talk to you about one thing" she said, attracting the young man's attention.

"Yes?" he asked curiously.

“Once, several months ago, Asuma came to me laughing. He told me he had made sure to introduce you to a girl. He didn't add much else, but I'd be curious to know what happened if you want to talk about it"

The boy blinked a few times not knowing how to react. He was surprised that Asuma had told Kurenai about Naomi. He thought back to her, and after endless moments he spoke, telling the woman in front of him about the day they met and how their friendship was born. He did not tell her what had happened after, but she understood that there was something that the ninja had omitted.

"Do you like her?" she ventured, and smiled when the boy's cheeks turned slightly red.

"It doesn't matter anymore" he replied in a neutral tone.

"Why do you say that?"

"We think totally opposite about a matter"

"Well, with a little patience you can always find a compromise"

"I doubt that"

"If you really like her, don't throw away everything you might have with her for differences of opinion"

"This is the point: it's not about what I could have, but what I won't have"

Kurenai did not understand, and Shikamaru thought that he would have nothing to lose in talking to her about his problem, so he went on venting:

"I don't know if Asuma ever told you, but in the future I would like to have my own family and have children. Yesterday with Naomi the issue came up and she was clear in saying that she absolutely does not want to, neither now nor in the future"

"You are so young; in life you can always change your mind"

"This is the point" he sighed. "She says she is sure that she won't change her mind and that is why she wants to end our relationship or, in her own words, whatever it is. The sooner we break up and the less we feel bad: that's what she thinks"

“I'm sorry, I don't really know what to say. She looks like a very determined girl"

"Yeah"

"Did she tell you why she made this decision?"

"Because she doesn't have enough faith in the world"

Faith ... After what had happened to her, Kurenai, at least in part, could understand her.

"It is certainly something to be traced back to her personal experience, maybe you could try talking to her"

"I already tried but it was useless ... Now I'm sorry, but I have to go"

He was returning home, when he thought that if his father had seen him, he would surely have tried once again to ask him for explanations about his behavior in recent times, so he decided that he would ask his best friend for hospitality.

Choji and his parents welcomed him with open arms and offered him dinner. Then the two boys went to the bedroom. Choji fell asleep immediately, while Shikamaru could not sleep a wink, thinking about what he should do with that girl who, even if he didn't want to admit it, had stolen his heart.

Several days had passed since the fact and Shikamaru was still uncertain about what to do.

He spent the mornings training with his father, the afternoons improving the techniques with his team. By now he could no longer even develop a decent strategy, which Naomi's image flashed overpowering him, making him lose the concertation. The two teammates saw that something worried him, but every time they tried to talk to him, he changed the subject or simply ignored them. He wanted to see her, but he didn't know what to say to her. He didn't want to argue; he just wanted to look at her, hug her, kiss her, and spend time with her.

For her part, Naomi tried to keep herself as busy as possible: she had all the extra shifts assigned to the hospital and when she was in university she often stayed there till late. Those few hours she stayed at home she spent them crying. In fact, even if seeing her she might have seemed a very strong and determined girl, in reality her soul was very fragile. She had finally found a boy with whom she felt comfortable, who respected her and with whom she could speak openly. She would have liked to spend the rest of her life with him, but at the same time she wanted him to be happy, and she knew that he could never be happy with her.

After a week that the two did not see each other, after training with Ino and Choji, Shikamaru showed up in front of her house. It didn't seem appropriate to use the keys she had given him, so he knocked and waited.

Naomi was sitting on the floor in a corner of the bedroom, and she had been crying for a while. She cursed herself for what she had said to Shikamaru that evening, and now she missed him so much that it was as if a huge boulder had stuck in her chest. She was an egoist: she wanted that boy, but she didn't want to go along with what he wanted. When she heard someone knock on the door, she knew it was him, and her beats increased. Her heart pushed her to go open to embrace him; her pride did not let her move from that damned floor.

Shikamaru was tired of waiting, so he took the keys and entered.

Naomi heard the door open and held her breath.

Not seeing her in the living room, the boy went to the bedroom.

Naomi felt her footsteps getting closer and, without even time to stand up or hide, she found his tall figure in front of her.

When the ninja opened the door and found her in front of him, she was curled up on the ground and mascara was dripping down her cheeks. At that moment he thought she was the sweetest and most defenseless person he had ever seen, but those tears dug a well in his chest.

They looked at each other for endless moments.

Then Shikamaru moved towards her and knelt in front of her, a few centimeters away. Without much preamble he explained the conclusions he had reached through that week.

"Listen to me. It doesn't matter what I think I want in the future. It’s what I want now that counts, and right now I just want to be with you"

Simple and concise words, which crept strongly into the armor that Naomi had tried to build on herself. The weight on her chest seemed to pulverize instantly, and fly away like sand in the desert carried by the wind. She burst into tears like a child, and hid her head between her knees.

"What should I do with you?" Shikamaru asked, more to himself than to her, and put a hand on her head, gently stroking her hair.

"I love you" whispered Naomi, sobbing.

"I love you too" and a smile appeared on the boy's face. He lifted her up and laid her on the bed, lying down beside her and hugging her.

"Can I stay here to keep you company?" he asked in a whisper, wiping her tears with one hand. In response, she trapped his lips in a long passionate kiss.

She thought that the only important thing was to have him next to her. Together they would face anything.

They spent the whole night and most of the morning making love, and it was so beautiful that neither of them would have moved from that bed, even if the end of the world had come.

It was however a cramp in Shikamaru's calf, which was about to reach its fourth orgasm, to bring them back to the real world. Naomi got up quickly grabbing the boy's leg and massaging it vigorously, while he complained, a little about the pain and much more about being interrupted at the best part.

Shortly thereafter, the ninja stomach started its guttural moans, so the two opted for a nice breakfast.

Naomi ran out, late for her early afternoon lesson followed by a shift in the hospital, while Shikamaru, calmly, headed for the training camp.

After training, he went to visit Kurenai. He knocked, but he received no answer. It was really strange not to find her at home at that hour, so he leaned his ear against the door and listened. After a few moments he perceived slight moans: she seemed to be sick. Shikamaru then forced the lock and rushed into the living room. The woman was collapsed on the ground, while with her hands she pressed on her belly.

"What happens?" Shikamaru asked shaking.

"I don’t know!" she screamed in pain.

He instinctively lifted her and being careful not to hurt her, he brought her to the hospital as fast as he could.

"Don't worry, I know a very good doctor. Everything will be okay” he reassured her.

When he arrived at the hospital, he attracted the attention of some nurses, asking for Naomi. Because of the screams, Naomi, who was on the other side of the corridor, heard everything and ran towards Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru!"

“It is Kurenai. She is sick!"

The girl ordered the nurses to take her to an empty room. She took her a blood sample which she immediately sent to analyze, and put her on a drip feed of saline solution which alleviated her pain.

Naomi gently stroked Kurenai's hand to attract her attention:

"Miss Yuhi, if you agree I would like to do an ultrasound to make sure the fetus is fine"

Kurenai looked down. She had only done one ultrasound when she started to have suspicions about her pregnancy. But since Asuma died, she hadn't made any more. She thought that seeing the child her pain would increase dramatically, ending up overwhelming that innocent little creature she was carrying inside her. She shook her head vigorously. Shikamaru moved towards her and started talking to her, hoping to make her reason, but Naomi interrupted him, understanding the motivation for her refusal.

“I can't even imagine what you are feeling right now, but I know you loves your baby, and we all just want you two to be okay. If you want, I can turn the screen to the other side ..." at these words Kurenai took a deep breath and consented.

Shikamaru turned to leave the room, but the woman grabbed him by the sleeve.

"Stay"

The boy, surprised, sat down on the chair next to the bed.

Naomi covered the woman with a sheet up to her waist, then gently lifted her dress. She poured the gel onto her belly and turned on the machine. She began to move the cursor over her belly, carefully watching the screen. She turned a knob and a pounding noise spread across the room: the baby's beat. Kurenai grabbed one side of the sheet, squeezing it, while a tear streaked her face.

"I'm almost done" the doctor said.

Shikamaru took Kurenai's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"I want to see it" the woman said sobbing.

The two boys looked at each other, then Naomi turned the screen. Shikamaru watched the image trying to understand what he was looking at, while Kurenai tried to hold back the tears, which blurred her vision.

"Do you want me to print you some copies?" Kurenai nodded weakly in response.

Shortly afterwards a nurse knocked on the door with the results of the blood tests, Naomi examined them and drew her conclusions:

“Miss Yuhi, here I see iron and magnesium deficiencies, which are vital for the proper growth of the fetus. Fortunately, we can intervene promptly with supplements but it is also important that you follow the right diet and rest. I can understand that you feel discouraged after what you had gone through, but you have to make an effort for your health "

"Maybe in this period I have neglected myself a little but it won't happen again"

"If you want, you can come and eat with us sometimes, my mother would be happy" Shikamaru added.

"Thank you"

"Now I have to go. You will stay here for a couple days, then I will get you supplements and you can go home" Naomi said as she left.

"Thank you doctor"

"She's a really cool girl" Kurenai whispered to Shikamaru, smiling faintly.

"Yeah" he agreed, blushing slightly.


	5. Blessed youth

_“There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth!”_

_\- Oscar Wilde_

A few days after Kurenai was dismissed from the hospital, Shikamaru went to visit her at home, and this time Naomi was also with him. When Kurenai opened the door, she found herself a little surprised at the sight of the girl, then gently seated them both.

"Since Shikamaru came to visit you, I thought I'd come with him to make sure of your condition" Naomi justified.

"Thank you" she replied smiling, then added:

"I was just going out to visit Asuma, will you join me?"

The two teenagers nodded, and all three headed for the cemetery.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, while Kurenai replaced the withered flowers with fresh ones. Shortly after they heard footsteps and turned: Ino and Choji had also thought of going to visit their teacher. Their pleasure in seeing Shikamaru and Kurenai was soon replaced by surprise, when their eyes rested on that beautiful girl they never saw before. The two friends looked at Shikamaru questioningly, but he had turned his back on them, looking for something to say to justify Naomi's presence. When he decided to speak, the words that came out left everyone present, including Naomi, dismayed:

"Let me introduce you to Naomi, she works as a doctor at the Konoha hospital and she will be the one to assist Kurenai during the birth" he paused briefly "and she is my girlfriend"

At the word 'girlfriend' Naomi blushed slightly, placing her eyes on those of Shikamaru, who were staring at her intensely. It was the first time that Shikamaru called her girlfriend and she felt her heart filled with joy.

Naomi made a half bow and hinted at a smile:

"Nice to meet you"

After the initial shock, the two friends also introduced themselves and after paying tribute to their sensei, they all left the cemetery together.

Ino was now understanding many things about Shikamaru's behavior! Overwhelmed by curiosity, she began to flood the poor girl with personal questions, while Shikamaru tried in every way to save her by constantly changing the subject. Despite this, the blonde managed to get Naomi told her about her life and about how she and Sikamaru had known each other.

Arriving in front of Kurenai's house, she said goodbye to them and went home to have some rest.

"Choji and I are going to Ichiraku to have dinner with all our friends, and this time, Shikamaru, you can’t refuse to join us! Are you coming too, Naomi? " Ino asked with a toothy smile.

“Tomorrow I have to start working early, so I think I will go home. But thank you very much for the invitation"

Actually, she wouldn't mind eating out, but since Shikamaru had never expressed the desire to introduce her to his friends, she didn't want to put him in an uncomfortable situation. He was a reserved person and their story had just begun, so she thought it was better to wait for him to take the initiative.

"Okay then I take you home and then I'll join you at Ichiraku’s" snorted Shikamaru with his usual bored air.

Choji arrived at Ichiraku’s breathlessly: he had followed Ino who ran crazily through the streets of Konoha, looking forward to telling the scoop to all their friends. The blonde broke into the restaurant, sitting at the usual table where everyone was waiting for them, with a breath of air she screamed:

"You will never guess!" those words drew the group's curiosity on her.

"Let’s hear!" Sakura urged her.

"We found out why Shikamaru has been acting so weird lately!" she paused to make sure everyone listened to her, then added:

"He has a girlfriend!"

Those present stared at her with an open mouth.

“That slacker? I can’t believe it!" Kiba yelled.

"It's true, we saw her with him and Kurenai at the cemetery!" Choji replied.

Ino, unable to hold her tongue, poured out all that Naomi had told her to the group, taking away any doubts about the truthfulness of the information.

Shortly afterwards Shikamaru arrived with his usual calm. Even before sitting down, noticing the gaze of those present all focused on him, he understood that Ino had not been able to mind her own business and he gave her a murderous look. At that moment someone at the next table, separated by a bamboo partition, got up and dropped empty sake bottles on the ground: Shikaku had not missed a word of Ino's story.

The two Nara stared at each other for long seconds. Shikamaru withstood his father's gaze with difficulty, but despite the insecurity that Shikaku instill in him, he forced himself to not take his eyes off his: he was no longer a child and he wanted his father to realize it. Suddenly Ino, feeling guilty for having poured out everything without taking care of indiscreet ears, intervened: she did not have time to pronounce two syllables, which stopped seeing his father's head appear from the same table of Shikaku, the latter finally spoke:

"Then?"

"I have nothing to say" the boy replied firmly, and glancing again at his teammates he left the pub.

His father chased him and stood before him, forcing him to stop.

“Shikamaru let's talk about it for a moment! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you, but don't you think that your mother and I have the right to know this kind of things?"

"I would have told you sooner or later ..." Shikamaru snorted, receiving a bad look from his father in response.

Then Shikaku slightly embarrassed added:

"Maybe it's the case that you and I make a certain speech ..."

"There is no need" the boy replied calmly.

"No, maybe you didn't understand"

"I understood perfectly, you're the one who apparently didn't understand anything"

His father looked at him questioningly. Shikamaru sighed, visibly annoyed that he had to face that topic in the middle of the streets of Konoha:

"Dad, you're a couple of years late for that famous speech"

His father looked at him with his mouth wide open, blathering few incomprehensible words. Shikamaru wanted to put an end to that agony as soon as possible so, without thinking twice, he explained:

“Why do you think that two summers ago the baker's daughter spent every morning bringing bread to us despite mom used to go to do grocery practically all days? We certainly didn't disappear to go looking for deer! And you don't think they were really math repetitions what Choji's neighbor asked me last year, do you?"

Ok maybe he had been a little too direct, but his father's face at that moment was priceless!

"Come on dad, let's go home" he added softly, patting him on the shoulder.

"Wait for me to tell your mother!" he whispered, still visibly shocked.

'That this torture ends quickly!' the boy prayed.

Meanwhile, at Ichiraku’s, the group friends had enjoyed that rare scene between father and son, shocked by the boy's statements. In the next table, Kakashi, Genma and Raido laughed, while Inoichi and Choza questioned the IQ of their teammate.

While Shikamaru was returning home with his father, he thought that his mother, once informed by Shikaku about the latest news, would have punch him at least, but her reaction displaced him: she was happy and she showed it to him with a warm hug.

"So, when can we met her?" she asked impatiently with a bright smile.

'And now what can I do?' he thought. He was not yet ready to introduce her to his parents. She was his first official girlfriend, and taking her to her parents' house would have been embarrassing, and above all very annoying.

“Well, right now she's very busy with work. As soon as she has a moment of respite, I will bring her here" he replied without too much conviction. Then he retired to his room, while Shikaku and Yoshino speculated about the girl's appearance and character.

The following evening, when Naomi returned after a grueling day at work, she found Shikamaru in the kitchen intent on smoking a cigarette and, which surprised her, preparing dinner!

"Tadaima!"

"Okaerinasai!" he greeted her distractedly.

"I wanted you to find dinner ready, but I didn't think it was so difficult to cook eggs without burning them!"

She approached him laughing, took the cigarette from his lips and kissed it, then take a drag of it before returning the cigarette to the owner.

She helped him prepare dinner and while they ate Shikamaru told her what had happened the night before with his friends and parents, while Naomi was laughing out loud hearing the story.

Then he suddenly asked her:

"What do you want to do?"

“Well it's obvious that I'd like to meet your friends and parents, since you always talk a lot about them, but at the same time I don't want you to feel embarrassed or forced to do it. I will wait until you are ready for it"

"Don't you think that I don't want to introduce them to you for some strange reason, I just never found myself in such a situation ... I just need some time to get used to it" he added embarrassed.

"Don’t worry, take your time, honey"

"Did I tell you that I love you?" he asked as he got up from the table and approached her.

"Yes" Naomi replied with a big smile, getting up from the chair.

Shikamaru kissed her passionately, covering her thighs with his hands and grabbing them to make her sit on the table. She surrounded his waist with her legs, reducing the space between them, noting with pleasure that the boy's cock was already beginning to wake up in his pants. They took off each other's clothes and had fun torturing each other with small bites, kisses and light caresses.

Shaken by pleasure shivers Naomi seemed to forget that the table was still set and involuntarily hit one of the glasses, which Shikamaru promptly grabbed, immediately returning to lick her breasts. But she pushed him back, getting off the table and, kissing him, led him into the living room, while one of her hands made its way between the ninja’s legs. He was so caught up that he didn't even notice the small table in the center of the living room, slamming against it and ending up lying on the carpet on his back. Naomi took the opportunity to sit astride him, helping herself with one hand to insert the boy's penis inside her, impaling herself on him. Continuing to stare at him eagerly, she began to move sensual on his erection, causing moans of pleasure in the boy, who with his hands tight on her hips helped her in the movements. He found Naomi so exciting that he came only after a few minutes, leaving the girl unsatisfied.

"It's not fair" she said, pouting.

"I’ll take care of you" he replied, making her sit heavily on the sofa. Remaining on his knees on the carpet, he opened her legs, starting to nibble her inner thigh and slowly approaching her intimacy. Desirous of that contact Naomi grabbed the head of her companion making him understand that was time to get to the point. The boy's tongue slowly and carefully traversed all the contours of her intimacy, then lingering on the clitoris, while two fingers made their way inside her, gradually increasing speed and depth. Naomi was lost in pleasure, she writhed, squeezing one of the sofa cushions and screaming with ecstasy. After she reached orgasm too, both, satisfied and exhausted, curled up on the sofa falling asleep shortly after.

When Shikamaru woke up it was already morning. He turned to Naomi who was still sleeping blissfully leaning against her chest, and kissing her gently to woke her up.

When his gaze fell on the clock, he panicked: 9:38. He should have been at a meeting with the Hokage and the most prominent ninja in the village at 9:30, and his father had also recommended he to be punctual!

He hurriedly collected his clothes from the kitchen floor, explaining the situation to Naomi, and left the house while he was still putting on his shirt. He ran at breakneck speed through the streets of Konoha, entered the palace and headed for the meeting room. The clock at the entrance was marking 9:51. He knocked hesitantly and on the other side of the door he heard the impatient tone of the Hokage:

"Come on in!"

"I apologize for the delay, I had a setback" he justified himself scratching the back of his neck.

"So, is that how you young people now call fun nights?" she teased him, causing the laughter of some jonins. Evidently the gossip had also reached Tsunade!

Shikamaru without saying a word sat down next to his father, carefully avoiding to meet his gaze, trying to focus on the agenda.

Once out of the meeting room he knew he had no escape: he would have to suffer yet another paternal from Shikaku who, as expected, began to reiterate how punctuality, work, etc. are important for a ninja. While he pretended to listen to him, Genma and Anko also left the room. The man could not help raging the poor boy:

"Good for you, Shikamaru! We just hope that your laziness will not rebel against all this activity!" he said mischievously.

"Pff, you're just envious!" was his dry reply, and soon after he left with the excuse of having to compile a report, leaving Genma dumbfounded, with Anko laughing at him.

"Then this evening you see what lecture your mother and I are giving you!" his father screamed.

“Ah I forgot to tell you, I will stop by Naomi tonight too. Tell mom I'll see you two at lunch tomorrow!" and he disappeared from his father's view, not giving him the opportunity to reply.

"Blessed youth" was Anko's laughed comment.


	6. Fear

_And if I show you my dark side  
_ _Will you still hold me tonight?  
_ _And if I open my heart to you_  
_And show you my weak side  
_ _What would you do?_

_\- Pink Floyd_

In Konoha the weeks went by frenzied and cheerful. Shikamaru and Naomi worked tirelessly and spent all their free time together. Their relationship was gradually evolving and both of them were very happy about it. They had been together for almost two months: almost two months had passed since Shikamaru had called her his girlfriend in front of his teammates, who had then make the news public in practically the whole village.

Aside from that brief meeting with Ino and Choji, Naomi had not yet met Shikamaru's parents and friends, but she knew that soon that moment would come: next week there would be Shikamaru and Ino's birthday. The two friends had decided, or rather, Ino had decided for both of them, that they would have dinner at the Nara house with their friend Choji and the families of all three, and then they would organize a party with friends in the annex that the Yamanaka family owned not far from the main house. Obviously, Naomi was invited.

Since Shikamaru had just left for a mission and she had some free time, she found herself wandering in the streets of Konoha, looking for a gift for the two teenagers. Despite having met Ino only once, she had already decided that she would give her a set consisting of vanilla shower gel, scented candle and bath salts. As for Shikamaru, it was a completely different story: what to give to your boyfriend? By now she knew him and she was aware that he was not the type that enjoyed presents, yet she wanted to make him understand that he was really important for her and that she wanted to make him happy.

She returned home with the present for Ino, disconsolate for not finding anything for Shikamaru, when suddenly an idea came to her: last week Naomi had dragged him to a village fair and insisted on taking a photo together, then she would print the photo is placed inside a colorful frame. Okay, she was satisfied with this idea, but it still didn't seem enough. Tired of thinking about it, she went to bed, hoping that her boyfriend would come back to her soon.

When Shikamaru had left few days before he had reassured Naomi that it would not be a particularly demanding mission and that in two or three days he would return. It was the evening of the third day, and still no sign of him. She thought about the mission of a few months earlier: Asuma died and he had come out destroyed. A knot tightened her throat and she tried not to think about it, but unfortunately the sleep was gone, overwhelmed by those bad thoughts.

How could Shikamaru be satisfied with his ninja job? It seemed so absurd to her, who grew up in a village of monks and became a doctor to help others, the figure of the ninja. Earning money by fighting, killing and being wounded, or worse killed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, made no sense to her. Yet she liked life in that village, but above all she liked that boy. She didn't think it was possible to get to know a person for so little time and yet love him so much that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Only for Shikamaru she would have lived in that absurd world. But the fact that he periodically had to go on a mission wasn’t good at all to her. She wanted to spend every single moment with him and never leave him. She thought about how many other missions would await him, and how many nights she would spend sleepless with these thoughts on her mind ... How long would she have resisted the agony of seeing him leave without the certainty of seeing him return?

If by the following evening he hadn't come back to her, damn it all, she would have appeared in front of the Hokage office in person to ask for explanations!

The following morning, she got up from the bed more tired than the previous night: she had a stabbing headache and two dark circles around her eyes. Fortunately, she had no shifts in the hospital or lessons that day. To avoid thinking, she tried to distract herself by cleaning the house. Time flew by without her noticing and it was now two in the afternoon when someone knocked on the door. Her heart skipped a beat: Shikamaru had a copy of the keys so he had no reason to knock ... but then who could it be?

She hesitantly approached the door, turned the handle and found herself in front of, a cigarette between his lips and the bored air, Shikamaru!

"Sorry but I was too tired to put my hand in my pocket and take the keys" he justified, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead and entering the house heading towards the fridge.

She stood in front of the entrance with her hand still on the handle: she didn't know whether to be happy to have him back at home or to kick him for his laziness! Too tired even to make such a decision, she simply opted to close the door.

She stopped at the kitchen door, leaning against the jamb and staring at his companion who was eating a sandwich hungrily. When the boy noticed the eyes on him, he looked at her questioningly.

"Well?"

"Nothing, I'm glad you're okay"

“Is everything okay?” he asked apprehensively, leaving the sandwich for a moment and approaching her.

"Everything all right" she just replied with a tired smile.

But he insisted:

"I have just returned from a mission where, in four days, I would have slept about three hours a night, yet you seem more distraught than I am"

"Yeah ... according to what you told me before leaving, you should have come back yesterday, or even the day before yesterday. Seeing you weren't coming back, I started worrying" she said, looking him straight in the eye.

"There was an unexpected event and we had to lengthen the way ... I'm sorry"

"Don't worry, it's not your fault, the important thing is that you are here now. I'm going to rest for a while" and she headed towards the bedroom, but that tear that made its way into the corner of one of her silver-colored eyes did not escape from Shikamaru’s view. He followed her into the bedroom and grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to turn around. By now her eyes were puddles of ice and tears streamed down her cheeks. The boy's stomach tightened when he saw them and he couldn't stop thinking about the reason of that.

"Naomi, what's going on?"

She tried in every way to free herself from his grasp, but unsuccessfully. She then dropped to her knees and covering her face began to sob. Shikamaru didn't really know what to do; he followed his instincts and knelt beside her, squeezing her tightly, kissing her hair, hoping that she would calm down.

A few minutes later the sobs became weaker and the girl’s hands made their way between the jacket of Shikamaru clinging forcefully, almost with desperation, to the shirt.

"Sorry" she murmured softly.

"You don't have to apologize, I just want to know what happened ... It makes me feel bad to see you like this and I can't think I caused you this suffering" he said.

"No, it's not your fault, it’s just me… I’m a fool" she replied, smiling faintly.

"It's just that I've spent most of my life alone" she continued "and now that I've finally found you, the idea that something can happen to you during your missions destroys me"

He was surprised by that statement.

"Why didn't you tell me right away?"

"Because it's your job, your life, it doesn't seem appropriate for me to intrude" she replied, wiping away her tears.

Shikamaru just wanted to tell her to don’t worry, that it would be all right and he would always come back to her. But then he imagined that his sensei had probably said something like this to Kurenai in the past, yet ...

Not feeling like replying, he simply laid her down on the bed and hugged her. Naomi fell asleep shortly after, Shikamaru instead tried to wrack his brain to find a possible solution to that situation.

Naomi woke up few hours later and it was already evening. Shikamaru was no longer next to her, but when she heard the rush of the water from the shower she relaxed. She felt a strong sense of guilt for having explained how she felt: almost as if she wanted to free herself from that weight by unloading it on the boy's shoulders. In the throes of these thoughts she got up and started preparing dinner.

Shikamaru came out of the bathroom and joined her in the kitchen, leaning on the kitchen shelf and lighting a cigarette.

"I'm sorry" were the words that came out of both mouths, almost simultaneously.

They stared at each other for a long time, not quite sure what to say, then Naomi spoke:

“Shikamaru, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have put my concerns on you. I did nothing but make you worry unnecessarily"

“We are a couple, aren't we? I think it's important to share everything, so you don't have to apologize. I would have felt worse if I had known you kept it from me"

His words surprised her a lot and made her understand how much Shikamaru cared about her and their relationship.

"But" continued the boy "I can't stop being a ninja"

"I know" she replied, smiling bitterly.

"I feel somewhat embarrassed to have to admit that, despite my IQ, I can't find a solution to this problem" he added disconsolate.

"I just want to be with you"

"Me too, but I can't escape my duties. I can tell you that everything will be fine and nothing will ever happen to me, but I know you won’t be so naive to believe it. So, what I can tell you is that I will continue to train every day to become stronger and stronger and that I’ll put all my will into my body to always come back to you"

"Stop it, you make me cry again!"

Shikamaru smiled as he approached and pulled her towards him.

"I love you"

"I love you too" Naomi replied, abandoning herself to his lips.

They had dinner together, then Shikamaru had to go: between the time spent with Naomi and the mission it was almost a week that he did not show up at home, if he had not returned that evening his mother would have at least impaled him at the gate of the Nara’s estate. Shikamaru reluctantly broke away from Naomi's embrace, then disappeared behind the door. She stood in the middle of the room for a few moments, then ran to close the window to prevent the cigarette smoke from thinning out completely, hoping in this way to continue to feel his presence even though he left leaving her alone.

Shikamaru returned home and, after greeting his parents and answering their innumerable questions about the outcome of the mission and how things were going with Naomi, went to his room. He stretched out on the futon, his hands behind his head acting as a pillow and he thought about the dialogue he had with his girlfriend. Somewhere inside his thoughts, what the girl had said to him that evening and the discussion they had about having children, found a connection. He suspected that both came from what had happened to her in the past and he knew it must not have been easy for her. On one hand he wanted to respect her silence, but on the other he would have liked to know every little detail about her, not only her happy moments but also the sad ones, in the hope of being able to do something for her.

He stayed awake for hours mulling over this and trying to find the right words to strike up the discussion the next time they met.

The following morning the two of them met at the university library. Naomi was correcting her students' report, while Shikamaru was finishing compiling the report of his latest mission. When the ninja had finished, he put down his pen, relaxed on the chair and began to observe the woman. She was so beautiful with messy hair and concentrated expression. He reached out a hand, gently grasping her free hand, while she continued to write with a smile on her face due to the boy's gesture.

They had lunch together in a nearby restaurant and then went home to rest for a few hours before returning to their duties. Shikamaru, however, could not help thinking about his intentions of the previous evening. As they walked hand in hand, he decided it was time to bring up the subject. He cleared his throat and began to speak hesitantly:

"Hey ... I was wondering, if you want…" he stopped not knowing how to continue, while she looked at him questioningly "…would you like to tell me about your childhood?"

Having said these words he looked at her out of the corner of his eye to see what her reaction would have been. He was afraid she would get angry but instead her gaze seemed to emit resignation.

"If you don't want to, it doesn't matter, it was just to chat" he added quickly, but Naomi knew there was much more behind that question. She also knew that sooner or later the topic would come up. Moving to a new village she hoped to be able to leave the past behind, but obviously it was not possible, it was a fundamental part of her and the person she was now was strongly linked to the girl she had been. Although it was painful for her to think back on past years, she knew she owed it. Shikamaru had become the most important person in her life and deserved to know her better. Not only had many misfortunes happened to her, but she had also committed actions she was not proud of, but deep down in her heart she knew that Shikamaru would understand her and would continue to love the person who was in the present. Lost in her thoughts, she did not realize that they had now arrived home. They sat on the sofa in the living room and Naomi gave him a reassuring smile, asking him what he wanted to know.

"I don't know, tell me about yourself, start wherever you want"

"Okay, so it seems logical to start from the beginning" she took a deep breath and continued:

"I was born in a very poor village that is located in the west, beyond the five great ninja lands. I never met my parents and spent the first years of life in an orphanage"

Shikamaru was listening to her without saying a word. She was opening up with him and he realized the effort it was costing her. The girl continued:

“At that time the situation was not the best and the security levels of the village were very low, so there were often raids by neighboring villages’ gangs. Once, when I was ten, during one of these raids, a group of men broke into the orphanage kidnapping some children to sell them on the black market" Shikamaru held his breath and was about to say something when she added "I was among those children"

Naomi looked away on an unspecified point on the carpet. She felt her eyes pinch but continued ignoring that feeling:

"I had a pretty face so I was sold to a prostitute merchant"

A tear came down and shattered on the fabric of the sofa. But it was not Naomi who was crying, but Shikamaru. With shining eyes, he brought his hands to hers and squeezed them tightly.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

She smiled faintly, gently wiping his cheek.

"Don't be, it's not your fault, and now it's over"

She found it hard to look him in the eyes, so she moved her gaze to the floor again and resumed the story.

"The first time I was raped I was eleven years old and that was only the first of many other times" she said mechanically, trying to be as indifferent as possible and trying to keep the inflections in her voice under control "but then I understood one thing, that I never realized before: people can be killed. So, I wandered between the rooms of the building where I was locked up and as soon as the opportunity presented, I attracted those slimy bastards in some hide spot, I distracted them and then I killed them. I am not proud of what I did, but at the time it seemed to me the only possible way"

"I'm not judging you" Shikamaru was about to add something else when she cut him off.

"Let me finish" and she spoke again:

“The owner of the building ordered his men to find the culprit at any cost and, after many investigations, they understood that I was the responsible. They locked me up in an underground room with the intention of killing me the next day in front of all the girls in the building, they wanted me to be an example for others. It doesn't matter how, but thanks to the help of some of the girls who lived with me, I managed to escape from that place and I went as far as possible, to the monks’ village where I learned Tibetan, and I made a new life. The only positive side of that brothel was that the regulars were very rich and the city very prosperous, thanks to this I had the opportunity to find and study many books, among which the medicine ones. After escaping from that hell, I wanted to become a doctor, in the hope that all the lives that I would have saved would reward the ones I took away" she smiled bitterly and turned her silver gaze back to the ninja.

Shikamaru knew that anything he could say would never be enough. He didn't blame her at all, on the other hand, when it came to taking lives, he was the last to be able to speak, given his job. It had been excruciating to hear her story and, although he knew he had no guilt, he could not bear all that the girl had gone through.

"I don't want your sympathy" she said sternly, seeing that the boy continued to stare at her with watery eyes.

"And I don't regret what I've done" she added.

“In fact, you don't have to, I'm only sorry for everything you've been through. I just wish it never happened"

“I don't deny the past. Despite all my problems, I don't mind the person I became, after all. And if I am now this person, it is also thanks to all that has happened to me. And then you know how they say it, don't you? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger" she said with a slight smile, winking at him.

“I think you are a fantastic person and I just want you to know that you are no longer alone. I will never leave you and I will do everything to protect you and make you happy" the boy admitted with his heart.

"Thank you. I love you"

"Me too"

They kissed and curled up on the sofa. Shikamaru was still metabolizing what the girl had told her and he knew it would take time to fully accept it.

She now felt lighter for sharing all this with the boy she loved, aware that he could not have chosen better words to make her feel loved.

Then the young man added thoughtfully and with embarrassment:

"Naomi, I just realized that I hadn't acted in the best way towards you"

The girl looked at him without understanding his words, so he took courage and continued:

"The first time you and I had been together intimately, I realize that I was a little brusque. After learning about your past, I can't help but wonder if I made you feel uncomfortable or forced to do something you didn't want to"

Naomi understood what he was referring to, gently took his hands in her and looked ai him in the eyes.

“You haven't done anything wrong. You know, as soon as I got to the village of monks it was difficult for me, the slightest physical contact with anyone, especially men, caused me to panic, but they helped me. Over time I managed to overcome my trauma almost completely. But thank you for worrying"

Shikamaru now felt more relaxed and admired the girl for her courage and strength she had shown.

Few weeks had passed since their conversation, and although Shikamaru still thought about it from time to time, the days passed quietly.

For some time now, something got hanging over Naomi’s head, this idea for her could be a step forward in the right direction. But for Shikamaru? What would he think of it?

Naomi decided to expose her thoughts to him:

"Listen, Shika ..."

"Hm?" he mumbled, comfortably lying on one of the benches in Konoha park, with his head resting on the girl's lap.

"Well, don't take it too seriously, and feel free to respond as you like, I'm not going to get offended…”

"Can I know what you're babbling about?" he asked a little impatiently.

"In short, I was thinking that between my job at the hospital and university and your job and missions, in the end the time we are together is relatively short. Not that I'm complaining that we won't see each other enough, I just thought that…" she paused uncertainly.

"What were you thinking?" he pressed her.

"I noticed that every couple day you stay at your parent’s house to sleep, and I don't want to meddle in your family business, I guess you have your good reasons-" he suddenly interrupted her:

"If it were up to me, I would spend all the nights and my free time with you, but you know, I am an only child, and my parents are quite traditionalists. Then my mom, you can't even imagine how petulant she is; keep telling me that I have to leave you your spaces and that being always at your house make me look like a profiteer and a nuisance"

"Well, that's exactly what I was referring to" she said laughing.

"If we made things a little more official?" But then she corrected herself immediately:

"I'm not talking about engagement, of course! Simply explain to your parents that I like you to spend time at my house" then she added in one breath:

"Basically, what I'm asking you is if you would like to move to my apartment and live together"

She stood in suspense, waiting for his reaction.

"I think it would be wonderful" he replied with a big smile. Adding:

"But if I said it, my mom would never believe me ... Would you like to meet my parents?"

"Hmm ... actually after everything you've told me about your mother, I'm starting to feel a little awe towards her" she admitted smiling embarrassed, but happy seeing the enthusiasm of the genius.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she will like you, and surely my father will like you too!"

After that conversation Shikamaru ran impatiently home, entering the kitchen and starting to speak without even saying good morning to his parents.

"You two have nothing to do tomorrow evening, do you?" and without worrying about the mother's nervous gaze he continued:

"Well, then I will invite Naomi here for dinner so you can meet her!"

After hearing those words, Yoshino let out a little cry of joy, while his father looked at him suspiciously.

"Why so suddenly?" Shikaku asked, narrowing his eyes.

"What are you complaining about?" retorted the woman.

"Nothing, just that seem suspicious ... Tell me, Shikamaru, isn't it that she is pregnant?"

Yoshino froze, choking almost with her own saliva. Embarrassed, Shikamaru tried to end the conversation there by assuring them that they didn't have to worry about anything.

He went to the bedroom, lying on the futon, thinking that perhaps for his mother the news of the move of his only son would have been far worse than an unexpected pregnancy.


	7. Birthday present

_He wanted to possess not the body but the soul of that woman;  
and to possess her entire soul, with all her tenderness,   
all her joys, all her fears, all her anguish, all her dreams,   
in other words, the entire life of her soul;   
and to be able to say: I am the life of her life._

_\- Gabriele D’Annunzio_

Naomi had left the bedroom after getting dressed and psychologically prepared to meet her boyfriend's parents. Shikamaru was sitting on the sofa, staring at an indistinct point on the wall in front of him and was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the ash that fell from his cigarette on the carpet. When she approached him, holding out the ashtray, he awoke from his thoughts.

"Are you worried about tonight's dinner?" Naomi asked.

"No, it's nothing" he replied vaguely, but the girl's penetrating gaze led him to continue:

"I was just thinking about Asuma ... Surely he would have taken credit for making us meet and with a pat on the shoulder he would have given me some advice for this evening" he admitted with a melancholy smile.

"I'm sorry, if you don't feel in the mood we can postpone"

"No, I’m fine. Let's go, or we're going to be late!"

Naomi was motionless, ecstatic contemplating the huge estate that stretched before her eyes. She still didn't understand much about clans and various things, but from that house she could deduce that the Nara family had to be very important in the village.

Shikamaru was in front of the open gate and, when their eyes met, he reached out to her, inviting her with an encouraging smile to follow him.

The dark-haired crossed the threshold of the house screaming "tadaima!", when he realized that his parents were already in the genkan waiting for them, all dressed up and impatient. He stepped aside by introducing Naomi and introducing her to them, who were enchanted by her smile and her spontaneity.

After passing the various pleasantries, the four headed for the dining room. Once seated Yoshino began to fill her with questions, while father and son exchanged resigned looks. Determined not to leave Naomi at the mercy of his mother for another minute, he interrupted that speech with the pretext of being hungry.

During dinner his mother became quieter and the four were able to converse calmly. Shikamaru was carefully pondering the right time to begin the decisive speech about his moving out, but his mother seemed to almost hang on Naomi’s lips, and he couldn’t bring up the subject. By now the girl had thrown so many encouraging glances and pinches on his thighs that, after the dessert, he finally decided to speak. He cleared his throat, attracting attention.

"Ehm… Mom, Dad, Naomi and I have something to tell you"

"I knew it!" Shikaku exclaimed.

"It's not what you think!" Shikamaru hurriedly shouted, silencing him, and ignoring the girl's perplexed looks.

He sighed, squeezing Naomi's hand from under the table, and continued:

“As you know by now, Naomi and I have been dating for several months. And we love each other" he admitted blushing slightly, while his parents listened carefully "so we decided to live together"

The boy's words seemed too crude to the girl, so she hurriedly added, glancing at her boyfriend:

"Obviously we are here to get your approval"

Shikaku and Yoshino were staring at each other, the woman gasping, while his father seemed almost resigned.

"Mom, I know it may seem difficult to accept, but I promise that I will come to visit you as much as possible" Shikamaru said softly.

"Well, it's about time you learned to live by yourself, and she," Shikaku said looking at Naomi, "is a really good girl. Your mother and I will survive"

"I expect to see you both once a week to have dinner together" said Yoshino still smiling uncertainly. The two teenagers nodded, smiling encouragingly.

Dinner ended and Shikamaru headed home with Naomi.

"I told you they’d like you!"

"Yeah! And I have to say that your mother is not the harpy you described at all! So ... do you want me to help you with the move in the next few days?" Naomi asked beaming.

Finally, she’d have him by her side in every free moment and she’d no longer feel alone.

The following week Shikamaru had already completed the move and his belongings were now everywhere in the house. Whenever Naomi came home from work and found him sprawled on the sofa, or found one of his clothes scattered around the house, or simply smelled his scent of cologne mixed with that of cigarette, she smiled happily.

She was also happy because he had finally found the gift for him, in addition to the frame. His birthday would be tomorrow and they had decided to spend an intimate evening having dinner at home. The next day there’d be dinner with his team and their parents, and immediately after the party where she would meet all the friends of Shikamaru.

It was the evening of September 22., Shikamaru, just returned from training, was in the bathroom taking a shower, while Naomi was in the bedroom, undecided on what to wear that evening. Eventually, she opted for a tight, strapless, fire-red minidress and black high heels, then she went to the kitchen to check the oven where she was baking a chocolate cake especially for the occasion.

When Shikamaru entered the room and found her in front of him, he was breathless.

"You are beautiful" he murmured, approaching her and giving her a passionate kiss.

After dinner, in which Shikamaru had warned her about the various eccentricity of the friends she would have known the following evening, Naomi ran to her room and reappeared smiling with two packages in her hands.

Shikamaru glared at them.

"You shouldn’t have"

"I know, but I wanted to" she said smiling, handing him the smallest package first. It was rectangular and wrapped in a green gift card. He slowly began to unwrap it and when he found the photo of the two of them in his hands he couldn't help smiling.

"I didn't have much choice since that's the only photo we have together" said Naomi, as if to blame the boy.

"Tomorrow at the party you will have as many as you want" he replied laughing and thanking for the gift.

Then he laid his eyes on the other package she was holding: it was larger than the first and wrapped in blue paper.

"Is that for me too?" he ventured.

"Yes, I hope you like it"

Shikamaru discarded it impatiently, throwing the pieces of paper on the table and finding in his hands a shogi board with all the various pawns collected in a small box.

"I thought it would be convenient to have one here to play when we want, without bringing your own each time"

"Thanks, it's a great idea" he said smiling and bringing the board into the living room.

"Shall we play a game?" he suggested.

"Actually, I would have another proposal" she replied, smiling mischievously and explaining herself better.

"When I went in search of the shogi board, there were a lot of things in that little shop, and my eyes ran on this" she said, opening one of the drawers on the desk and offering him a book.

Shikamaru found a red-covered book in his hands. He read the headline, instinctively opened his mouth, and stared in astonishment at the girl, blinking a couple of times. He hadn't read badly, on that book it was written "Kamasutra"!

"I thought we could try something new tonight, to celebrate" the woman teased him, sitting down next to him and pressing on him.

The genius recovered from that passing disbelief at the girl's indecent proposal.

"I totally agree" he said showing a big smile, already looking forward to the night. He immediately started leafing through the book under Naomi's attentive gaze.

"Mmm ... it's hard to choose ..." he admitted, blushing slightly.

"Take your time"

In the meantime, she returned to the kitchen starting to clear the table, and as she washed the dishes, she felt the ninja approaching her.

"Found it!" he shouted triumphantly, and literally jumped on her, forcefully inserting his tongue into her warm mouth and lifting her weight by the buttocks.

She clung to his hip and without interrupting the kiss Shikamaru went to the bedroom stumbling several times. Once arrived, fortunately unharmed, he laid her down on the mattress, handed her the already open book, and while she was looking at the page, he began to undress himself and her impatiently.

"I see" she said, placing the book on the bedside table and letting him take off her thong in the meantime.

Shikamaru overtook her and started nibbling her neck, visibly excited. Naomi began scratching his back with her nails, trying to reverse positions. It was his birthday, and the only thing she had in mind was to satisfied him like never before. She gave himself a strong stroke of kidneys and once on top of his lover she blocked his wrists with her hands on the mattress. She looked at him pierced in the eyes and then kissed him softly on the lips, while the boy was craving for a deeper contact. She satisfied him, melting their hot tongues and brushing his chest with her turgid nipples. She then began to descend, leaving a trail of hot kisses on the neck and pausing to nibble on one of his ear lobes, while positioning herself so that the boy's erect sex touched her intimacy causing chills of pleasure and slight moans to both.

She went down even further, covering the boy's chest inch by inch, finally freeing his hands, which the boy promptly slipped into her long and soft hair. The descent continued further, until she reached the boy’s beating organ. She wrapped it all up with a single fluid gesture, ripping out a long moan from him. She began the ups and downs, then pausing with her tongue to stimulate the chapel, while the boy panted hot. After a few minutes, still not wanting to take him to the limit, she broke away and kissed him again, then whispering in his ear "I'm in charge, follow me"

Naomi sat up with her back to the boy and carried his erection over, sinking with a single movement on it. Both moaned with pleasure, and their moans intensified when the girl began to move up and down, while Shikamaru stroked her hips.

Then Naomi slowed her movements, supported herself with the palms of her hands on the mattress and slowly began to lie down. She reached to touch the boy's chest with Shikamaru's penis still inside her and began to move rubbing herself on him every time with greater vigor.

The dark-haired man was in ecstasy but wanted more: he pushed his hands down, with one he grabbed the girl's buttock to facilitate the increase of the speed of the movements, and with the other he began to massage her clit. The moans became more and more acute and panting more frantic, until Shikamaru loosened his grip and poured into her with a hoarse sigh. Shortly thereafter, she reached the orgasm too and slipped beside the boy. They kissed exhausted for an indefinite time. Then Shikamaru whispered a "I love you" on the lips, so intense that it almost made her head spin.

"Me too, love. Happy birthday" she whispered, curled up on his chest and giving in to sleep.

That morning Shikamaru woke up with a feeling of tranquility and peace with himself never experienced before. 'Sex really works miracles’ he thought to himself, turning around in search of his partner who was still sleeping blissfully. Her angelic face and the memory of the previous evening warmed his heart. At that moment he thought it would be nice to be able to share that happiness with his teacher, but in order not to get too discouraged he stopped thinking about it, waking up Naomi with a sweet kiss on the nose.

"It's time to get up! We have some other interesting positions to try and then we have to psychologically prepare for tonight's party!" he said cheerfully, tickling his hips.

"Mmm" moaned the girl still half asleep "let's sleep now, we'll think about the rest later"

Shikamaru got up resigned, preparing breakfast.

After an hour or so Shikamaru came to the bedroom with a tray in his hand.

“Time to wake up! Breakfast is ready” he said, lifting the covers from the girl's face. She stretched, looked at the young man and was pleasantly surprised by his consideration. He set the tray on the bedside table, sitting down next to her and offering her a steaming cup of coffee.

"Thanks" she said with a big smile, kissing his cheek gently.

After breakfast Naomi took a quick shower, while Shikamaru, strangely, washed the dishes. She would have happily stayed at home with him that day, perhaps spending time trying out some new positions in that book, but unfortunately she had two lessons at university, followed by an important meeting. She greeted him by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him for a long time, then ran out, hopping on the streets of Konoha with a light heart full of joy. They agreed that they would meet that evening in front of Shikamaru's parents' house, where dinner would take place, then, together with Ino and Choji, they would go to the birthday party.

That evening Naomi had opted for a dark green dress with a wide skirt that reached her knees. The sleeves were three-quarters ending in lace, it had a slight neckline and she had also gathered her hair in an elegant bun. Once again Shikamaru could only remain speechless in front of the beauty of his girlfriend. When they entered the house, the guests had already arrived, Shikamaru introduced her first to Ino's family and then to Choji's. They all ate together conversing happily, and Naomi could only have fun when the conversation fell on the pranks that those three had made as children.

After dinner, they were still chatting, when Ino abruptly interrupted the conversation:

"Come on, we have to hurry or we will be late and, being the celebrated, I can't afford it!"

"Hey, am I not one of the celebrated too?" Shikamaru snorted feignedly offended, but Ino deliberately ignored him, taking Naomi by the hand she greeted everyone and headed frantically towards her house, followed by the two boys.


	8. Party

_“Because all things are, in truth, excessive  
And all reality is an excess, a violence,  
An extremely vivid hallucination  
That we all live in common with the fury of the souls."_

_\- Fernando Pessoa_

When they arrived, Ino entered the annex turning all the lights on. Almost as if that was a signal, suddenly a group of people appeared from behind the refreshment table, shouting in a chorus "Surprise!"

Naomi, still gripped in Ino's grip, jumped back in fright, crashing into Shikamaru, who instinctively grabbed her hips.

Ino burst into laughter, going to greet their friends, followed by Choji. Naomi still clung to Shikamaru for a few seconds. There were definitely more people than she had expected and she was feeling slightly embarrassed. The boy took her hand, whispering in her ear not to worry, and approached the group of friends.

"Guys, let me introduce you to Naomi" he said, raising his voice slightly to make himself heard by everyone.

"She is real!" Kiba exclaimed, widening his eyes at the sight of the girl.

Shikamaru ignored the comment, turning to his girlfriend:

“Okay, now I introduce you all. The idiot who just opened his mouth is Kiba, and these are Shino and Hinata, who are part of the same team" Naomi bowed to the three, while Shikamaru ignored Kiba's protests at being called an idiot.

“These are Naruto and Sakura. Then there are Neji, Rock Lee and Ten Ten. Finally, this is Gaara, the Kazekage, and she is his sister Temari"

"Nice to meet you" said Naomi shyly, after Shikamaru had finished the introductions. She tried to show herself smiling and comfortable with everyone, who in turn were very friendly, immediately including her in their conversations. Ino had opened a few bottles of red wine, pouring them to all those present, who in the meantime had piled all the gifts for the two celebrated on a nearby table. Now Naomi was talking to Ten Ten and Hinata, who were curious about the life and customs of the Tibetan village where she lived. The girl cordially answered all their questions, while Shikamaru, sitting on one of the sofas with Choji and Neji, stared at her intently. Naomi perceived her partner's gaze on herself and occasionally returned it with languid looks. However, ever since they got there, she couldn't help but feel observed, by decidedly less loving eyes. She was about to gather with everyone else around the table where Ino and Shikamaru would cut the cake, when she understood the source of those looks: in a corner of the living room, next to Naruto and Gaara who conversed quietly, Temari stared at her with hatred. She did not understand, she had just met her, how could that blonde girl already not like her? She tried not to think about it, while they all ate the cream and strawberry cake that Choji's mother had prepared for the occasion.

While the two celebrated were unwrapping the presents, Naomi decided to approach Temari and try to talk to her. Since the desert girl was near Sakura, she started chatting with the pink, hoping that the blonde would join the conversation too, but nothing. In fact, Temari got up abruptly and headed to the bathroom. Sakura did not seem to notice, so Naomi deduced that this was probably the normal behavior of the girl, but decided to make sure of it by asking Shikamaru for confirmation. So, she went to the sofa, where he was sitting with a beer in his hand and his head abandoned on the headrest, she sat on his lap attracting his attention, then putting an arm around his neck.

"Are you having fun?" he asked placing a sweet kiss on her cheek.

“Yes, your friends are nice, and after everything you have told me about them, it’s like I know them for a lifetime. But you mentioned Gaara and Temari only a few times, I can't quite understand her, since I arrived, she has never spoken to me and I noticed several times that she was looking at me in a bad way. Is it normal for her to behave like this?"

"Well, you know, those two are a bit particular, and she is sometimes a little brusque" he said evasively, putting a hand behind his neck and smiling forcefully, which made Naomi suspicious. She fixed her gaze in such an intense way that he could not admit replies to the question that followed:

"Shikamaru, is there something you didn't tell me?"

At that insinuation she felt the boy’s body stiffen beneath her, then she noticed that his gaze was drawn to something in the background, so she followed him to discover that Temari had returned to the room. The two ninjas met their gaze and Temari immediately turned his back on him, approaching his brother. That skit did not escape the eyes of Naomi, who immediately understood.

"Tell me, Shikamaru, did you slept with her?" she asked inquiringly. The slight dilation of the dark pupils, followed by a gasp gave the girl the answer she sought.

"It's not like you're thinking!" Shikamaru hastened to say, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her towards him, so that he could speak to her ear.

"We slept together a few times last year, but it was nothing serious. When I met you, whatever there was between us was already over for a few months, now we are just colleagues"

"From the way she looks at you, I wouldn't say that" the girl uttered. Shikamaru was about to reply on the offensive, when she added:

"Don't get me wrong, I believe you, I don't think that you are hiding something from me, but I think she is not completely satisfied with how things went, so I can't help but wonder if you have ever had feelings for her"

The boy meditated on those words. Nothing escaped that girl. He lifted her off the couch, inviting her to follow him into the courtyard to continue the conversation away from prying ears.

"Okay, I have to admit I was interested in her last year" he admitted once outside, lowering his tone.

“Then one day, during a joint mission between our villages, for lack of space we were forced to share a room, and we ended up having sex together. I was surprised too, because she had never shown any interest in me. Since then, whenever she was in the village she’d show up at my house, have sex, then she’d go away. Every time I tried to talk about feelings, she changed the subject or found an excuse to leave, and even when we were together intimately, she was very cold and detached. At the beginning I tried to go along with her, I knew she had a difficult past, but after months the situation had become really heavy, and her umpteenth refusal to open up with me put an end to our story" he explained reluctantly.

"But did you love her?" Naomi asked hesitantly.

"At the time I thought it was love but, honestly, after meeting you I understood that mine was just a teenage crush and nothing more. You are the one I love" he said approaching and kissing the girl.

"I love you too" she replied giving him another kiss. Then she went on:

"But if things went like this, why does she seem to want to annihilate both you and me with her eyes?" she asked puzzled.

The genius snorted resignedly, admitting the second part of the story:

“A few months ago, we met again after some time spent in our respective villages. It was the first time we had met since I ended the story with her. She literally jumped on me, asking me to start seeing us again. Although when it happened you and I weren't together yet, I was starting to feel something for you, so I refused her proposal by telling her that there was someone else that I was interested in ... I don't think she took it well" he admitted.

"I'm sorry for her, but she has no right to look at me like that" Naomi said warming up.

"Don't worry about this, ignore her, in a couple of days she will go back to her village and we won't see her for several months" the ninja convinced her, starting to leave a trail of kisses on her neck. The woman indulged in that sensation, pressing herself against the young man's toned body, and starting to rub on him.

"Stop it, so you make me want to have sex" Shikamaru prayed.

"You started" she objected laughing.

"If you put it like that, let's see who comes out on top" the young man provoked, bringing one of his hands under the skirt of the dress and quickly going up the girl's thigh. His fingers lingered for a few minutes on the fabric of the lace pants, feeling her clitoris, making sure that she tightened even closer to him. He brought his right hand to the butt cheek, creeping under the fabric of the pants and squeezing it, then put two fingers in her intimacy, which he could see was already wet. To those attentions Naomi melted away, abandoning her face in the boy’s shoulder and biting his neck so as not to let out any sound.

"Stop it, someone could see us" she said, not too convinced.

"Then be good, so we finish quickly" replied the young man kissing her again, while the speed of the lunges increased. The girl's legs were beginning to struggle to support her, so the dark-haired man passed his free arm around her, helping her to stand up. With the other hand, he invited her to open her thighs more, so as to be able to get deeper. Then he concentrated on increasing the rhythm of the lunges, thus making Naomi moan that in a short time reached the peak.

He pulled his fingers out wiping his hand on a napkin, then kissed the girl again. At that moment Kiba and Naruto looked out the door of the annex and at the sight of the two engaged in the kiss they began to make silly verses, inviting them to stop making lovebirds.

They all went back inside; it was now two o’clock in the morning and the friends were starting to leave. Naomi felt hot and at the thought of what had just happened she blushed more.

She said goodbye to everyone, helped Ino clear the tables, then headed home with Shikamaru.

When they arrived, Naomi was still light-headed after that strong orgasm, she decided to return the favor to the boy, so before he could reach the bedroom, she nailed him to the wall. He, initially bewildered, offered no resistance, asking her what she intended to do.

"I return you the favor" she simply replied, with a mischievous smile on her face. She knelt in front of the man, starting to open the zip of his jeans. When the genius understood the girl's intentions, he swallowed a lump of saliva, full of expectations for what would happen shortly thereafter. With a single jerk, the woman lowered both his jeans and boxers, finding Shikamaru's intimacy in front of her. She took it firmly in her hand, starting to tease him. The organ immediately responded to those stimulations, hardening quickly. Naomi, under Shikamaru's attentive gaze, licked her lips, after which she incorporated the whole erection in a single movement, chaining her gaze into that of the ninja and taking his breath away. She grabbed one of the boy's buttocks with one hand, then began to move up and down, also helped by the other hand. Shikamaru left his head against the wall enjoying that feeling for a few moments, then he plunged his hands into the girl's hair and pushed himself deeper into her, all this continuing to stare intensely into her eyes. After a few minutes he was at the limit.

"i-I'm coming" he stammered, trying to get Naomi away from the beating organ. In response, she pushed his hand away, still increasing the rhythm, until he poured completely inside her with a long gasp. She swallowed everything then broke away, grabbed the boy by the shirt making him kneel in front of her and trapping him in a long, wet kiss.

Naomi was in the hospital office, sitting at the desk was filling in some patients' files, when a long blonde hair appeared from the entrance, attracting her attention.

"May I interrupt you?" Ino asked.

"Yes, come on in” she said, surprised to see her there, since the blonde worked on the upper floor, dedicated to ninjas.

"I'd like to ask you a favor" she said slyly.

"Let's hear it" said Naomi, slightly worried not knowing what to expect from Ino.

“I am organizing a little party for when Kurenai has given birth, which will be soon, and I really need to know the sex of the baby for the color of the decorations and to choose the gifts. Since you are his doctor, I know you know ... I promise you it will stay between us!" she said hopefully.

"Ino, you know that I have to respect professional secrecy" said the woman returning to work.

"Come on! I really need it!" Ino insisted.

“Listen, we never talked about it, Kurenai never asked me about the sex of the baby and I never asked her if she wanted to know since, although she doesn't want to show it, she still suffers a lot from the loss of Asuma. This afternoon she has a checkup, I don't promise you anything, but I will ask her if she wants to know and if she says yes, then you can simply ask her"

"Okay, thank you" was the disappointed reply from the blonde, who immediately returned to work.

Naomi spent the rest of the morning between visits and documents, until the hour of the ultrasound of Kurenai, who had come as usual accompanied by Shikamaru.

"Good morning, doctor"

"Good morning, you can only call me Naomi here in the hospital too" she said with a smile.

The ninja took a seat on the couch and Shikamaru sat down in one of the chairs next to it. Naomi prepared everything needed and proceeded to the visit. After carefully watching the screen and reading the various values, she kindly turned to Kurenai.

“Everything is going very well. In two, maximum three weeks is going to born" then she observed the woman's worried look whispering “It will be all right"

Kurenai at those words showed her a weak smile, while Shikamaru approached the two women. Then Naomi started talking again:

"We haven't talked about it so far, but I was wondering ... aren't you curious about the sex of the baby? Or would you rather be a surprise?"

The woman stared at the two guys hesitantly then, making use of all her firmness, she decided:

"I want to know it"

"Okay, in this case ... congratulations: you will have a baby girl" Naomi said with a broad smile, which soon infected both Shikamaru and Kurenai.

Shortly after the woman returned home, Shikamaru stopped on the hospital terrace, where he was joined by Naomi during one of her breaks.

"Do me a favor, tell Ino that it’s a girl" sighed the girl, leaning on the parapet next to Shikamaru.

The boy smiled, returning to look at the landscape immersed in his thoughts and throwing out a breath of smoke.


	9. A new life

_“Then he looked at him, his invincible power, his intrepid love,_  
and he was overwhelmed by the belated suspicion   
that it is life, more than death, that has no limits.”

_\- Gabriel García Márquez_

That day had been incredibly hectic and exhausting.

That morning Shikamaru was training as usual with his team when Konohamaru showed up running at breakneck speed. He stopped a few steps from them trying to catch his breath quickly, then excitedly shouted:

"My mom said to come looking for you!"

The trio watched him worried, preparing for the worst of scenarios, when he continued:

"Kurenai is in the hospital, she is in labor!"

At those words Shikamaru's mind blacked out and panicked, Choji also seemed to be in a similar situation. Fortunately, there was Ino with them: after slapping them both to bring them back to reality, all three ran to the hospital.

After asking for information in the office, they headed quickly to the room assigned to the woman: they found Kurenai sitting on the bed, her sweaty face was occasionally contracted by a grimace of pain and her breathing was heavy and labored. Beside her, Naomi and a nurse were preparing everything they needed.

When the girl was in front of the team, she greeted them, it took her a second to notice the agitation of her boyfriend, so she spoke:

"The contractions are quite frequent but it is not yet dilated enough, certainly will not be born before the afternoon"

It was decided that Shikamaru and Ino would remain with Kurenai during the birth, while Choji took a seat in the waiting room together with Konohamaru, the latter, accompanied also by his parents, could not wait to meet his cousin.

The hours followed slowly, and the more time passed the more Kurenai seemed suffering and tired. Shikamaru shook her hand, while the blonde tried to instill courage with reassurance and incitement. It was late afternoon, when Naomi put on a pair of gloves, positioned herself at the end of the bed and lifted the sheet that covered the woman's lower limbs.

"Okay, here we go, come on Kurenai, start pushing" she said seriously.

Kurenai shook Shikamaru's hand more and began to push with all the strength in her body. Ino too had approached the bed, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder trying to instill courage. Shikamaru was silent, watching the women around him unable to understand everything that was happening. He was lost in his world, he did not even realize the time that passed, when he was brought back to reality by a sound, which he had never heard before: the cry of a creature who saw the world for the first time.

He blinked a few times, then fixed his gaze on that bundle still covered in blood tight in Naomi's expert hands. She got up carrying the baby girl on the nearby bed, to visit and clean her, helped by the nurse. Shikamaru's attentive gaze then moved to Kurenai: her face was distorted, she was still out of breath and big tears streaked her cheeks. Without thinking about it, guided by instinct, he gently wiped them with his fingers, attracting the woman's attention. When her gaze was on the boy, he smiled sweetly at her. That scene was interrupted by Naomi, who approached with the little girl wrapped in a white blanket.

"Congratulations, she is fit as fiddle" she said smiling.

She reached out to Kurenai who, with slightly trembling arms, welcomed her baby without hesitation. When that little creature was in her arms an incredible sensation overwhelmed her: love and hope for that new life, together with the pain for the man who should have been next to her and that her daughter would never have known. Probably those present sensed her thoughts and their looks became sad. Shikamaru quickly wiped away a tear, hoping he hadn't been seen by those present, while Ino offered to go and tell the others the good news, in order to have a few minutes for herself to cry for her sensei in private.

A few hours had passed, the baby had had her first feed, Choji and Konohamaru had come to see her, and Kurenai had not left her for a moment. Naomi had returned to the room, she would have brought the newborn girl to the nursery so the mother would have a few hours to rest.

"Okay, thanks. But first, Shikamaru, do you want to hold her?" the woman asked the boy.

He stared at her in surprise, saying uncertainly:

"Thanks, but I don't know how, I wouldn't want to hurt her"

But Kurenai insisted, so Naomi took the baby girl from her arms inviting the dark-haired boy to sit down. She handed her to him and explained how to hold her.

When Shikamaru had the baby in his arms, knowing he had Naomi beside him, he relaxed, taking a few minutes to study that creature. She was so small and so light. She was sleeping and her calm breathing gave him an unthinkable tranquility. He was still thinking about all this when he suddenly realized something, immediately giving voice to his doubts:

"Kurenai, how will you call her?" he asked, looking first at the woman and then at the baby.

Kurenai looked down for a few seconds, with a sad and melancholy smile:

"If she had been female, Asuma would have liked to call her Mirai"

"Mirai" repeated the boy staring lovingly at the girl and smiling slightly.

The following day, many friends and acquaintances came to visit the new mother and the baby.

Shikamaru had been busy all morning in the office examining some documents with his father and when he showed up at the hospital it was afternoon. He went to Kurenai and asked her how she felt. Unlike yesterday, the woman seemed reborn, now her hair was in order and her face relaxed and bright.

"Where's Mirai?" he asked, not seeing her in the room.

"Naomi took her to the nursery, she just ate, so I can rest for a few hours"

"Okay, I’ll take a look and then head home. See you tomorrow, if they dismiss you, I'll take you home" he said, then leaving the room with a nod.

He wandered the corridors of the hospital, but he had no idea where the nursery was, so he asked the first nurse he found and got directions.

Once he reached the room, he approached the glass which showed the numerous newborns lined up. Hanging in front of the cradle was a plate with their name, he ran quickly to Mirai's, but found her cradle empty. He was about to look for a nurse to ask for explanations when a melody that came from the end of the corridor reached his ears. He went silently towards that sound, arriving in front of a room connected to the nursery that had the front door wide open. He leaned over cautiously and noticed a person in a white coat turned from the shoulders: he didn't need to see his face to understand that it was Naomi. She kept her arms forward intent on squeezing something and was singing a sweet melody in a language unknown to him, which he imagined to be Tibetan. She rocked slowly from one side to the other and, when she turned slightly, he could see that she was holding in her arms Mirai, that was falling asleep. He remained behind the door, continuing to listen to that melody enraptured and observing with how much love his girlfriend cradled the baby girl.

After a few minutes Naomi went to the next room, placing Mirai in the cradle and returning to that room to fill in some documents. Shikamaru was about to greet her and reveal his presence when an invisible force stopped him. Suddenly, without making the slightest noise, he turned and hurriedly left the hospital, heading to the land belonging to his clan. He ran to the hill where he usually went when he wanted to be alone and lay down on the lawn. He lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply the first puff and then shifting his attention to the clouds.

At that moment a myriad of thoughts poured into his head: they had been frenetic and incredible days. He still could not understand the miracle of the birth that occurred the day before in front of his eyes, the strength of Kurenai and how, when he had held that child in his arms, for a moment, he seemed to feel the presence of his sensei near him. Even now, staring at the sky with his eyes open, he saw Asuma's face in front of him and heard his laughter as if he were still beside him. At that thought the eyes began to pinch. But he didn't want to cry, not now, not yet, so he reluctantly put that memory aside. A few seconds of total emptiness followed, then a new thought took hold of his head: now he saw Naomi in front of him, with Mirai in her arms, singing that sweet song to her. In front of that scene he had felt tender, but immediately afterwards his mind went on to analyze the reason why, shortly before, he had left the hospital without even saying goodbye to her. There and then he hadn't realized the reason for that behavior either, he just felt he wanted to be alone for a while. But now, carefully analyzing all this, he understood the reason. That scene had initially infused him with tenderness, but immediately that feeling had been replaced by another, far more intense and overwhelming: annoyance. Yes, annoyance. Annoyance at the thought of the quarrel he had with Naomi a few months earlier. How could she say she was sure she didn't want children and then stare at that girl with such dreamy and loving eyes? He wanted to talk to her about it, tell her that he was sure she would be an excellent mother, that together they could have a beautiful family and live happily ever after, like in fairy tales. But at the same time the quarrel they had had for the same reason had convinced him that he couldn't tell her about it. He was sure that if he brought up the topic again the girl would react badly and the last thing he wanted was a fight with her. So, he decided, with a lump in his throat and the annoyance still present in him, that he would keep everything inside.

He had just come to a conclusion for his reflection when he realized that the sun was setting and the evening was near, so he headed for his parents' house. In fact, that evening he agreed that he would have dinner with them, while Naomi would not come because she worked late.

After dinner, still slightly in a bad mood for the reflections of that afternoon, he decided to stop there and sleep in his old room, which now contained only the bed and empty furniture. He hoped that a good night's sleep would make him forget that unpleasant sensation and the next day he would resume his life as if nothing had happened.

Shikamaru had awakened the next morning refreshed and after a quick breakfast he said goodbye to his parents and headed to the southern border of the village with his team, where he had to carry out a small mission on behalf of the Hokage.

He had come home after dinner, finding Naomi sitting at the desk. At the sound of the door the girl had immediately turned and exclaimed the boy's name. He greeted her with a nod, then giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Was there any problem last night?" the girl asked slightly worried, referring to the fact that the boy had not returned home.

He sat on the sofa with a slight sigh:

"No, no problem. I had dinner with my parents and after I finished eating, I felt tired dead, so I stopped to sleep there. Sorry if I didn't warn you"

Naomi was dissatisfied with that explanation, she was about to reply when, hoping to end the conversation there, he added:

"These days have been quite intense and tiring" then he immediately changed the subject "how are Kurenai and Mirai?"

"Very well, tomorrow after lunch I will dismiss them"

"Okay, then I'll go there to accompany them home" he said, getting up from the sofa, but getting stuck at the girl's words:

"Shikamaru, are you all right?" she asked, peering intently into his eyes.

"Yes, sure. You? Everything okay?" he asked not to convinced.

She continued to look at him suspiciously, voicing her doubts:

"Honestly? I don't know if everything is fine. You are acting weird"

Shikamaru took a deep breath then repeated:

“It's all right, now I'm sorry, but I'm tired and I'm going to sleep. Good night" he said dryly leaving the room.

Shortly thereafter he heard the front door slam and realized that Naomi had left the house.

'Mendokusai!' he thought, aware that if he had ignored that gesture, he would have done nothing but magnify the problem. So, he put on his jacket again and ran out of the house. He noticed the figure of the woman along the main street that went briskly, probably headed for the hospital. He leapt forward climbing the roof of a house, quickly reach the girl and swooped in front of her, frightening her.

She then growled:

"Leave me alone!" and kept walking.

“Can you tell what's wrong with you? I just told you I'm tired, it doesn't seem appropriate to make such a scene for something so insignificant" he snapped.

"I’m the one making a scene?! Do you want to flip the script and put the blame on me?"

"What are you talking about?! Nobody did anything!" he said exasperated raising his voice.

"It's not true. By now I know you. I know you're hiding something from me! What happened yesterday?" She screamed, in a decidedly too loud voice, since he could see a couple of figures approaching the windows of the houses facing the street.

"Come with me" he grabbed her wrist and led her home, without giving her time to reply, trying to use those minutes that separated him from their home to find the right words to use once they arrived.

"Tell me what happened" the apprehensive woman whispered once they returned to their home.

"It's nothing important" he said, looking away.

"Do you remember months ago when you went on a mission staying more days than expected and I made a scene?"

Shikamaru nodded, unable to understand where he wanted to go. And the woman continued:

"You came after me and, among other things, you said that I had done well to tell you about it, because we are a couple and it is right to talk to each other about what worries us or about anything else that concerns the other. Now, it may be that I'm wrong and any problem you have concerns something outside of the two of us, but since you didn't come home yesterday, I spontaneously think that it also concerns me" she said, looking at him firmly.

The ninja felt his back to the wall. After her speech he could not have lied to her or dealt with the matter, so he reluctantly admitted:

"Okay, listen, it's actually about us, but it's nonsense"

“And out of nonsense you don't come home to sleep? I dare not imagine what would happen in case there is something important" she threw him scornfully.

"I just don't want you to be hurt or angry"

At those words she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms to her chest hissing:

“Excellent strategy, genius. Doing in this way you're just pissing me off even more. Now speak” she declared in a tone that did not allow replies.

He sat on the sofa inviting her to do the same. He began to speak reluctantly, telling her about the scene he had witnessed the previous afternoon in the hospital and the thoughts that followed.

Naomi listened without breathing, stiffening when he touched that taboo speech for her.

When Shikamaru finished speaking, the two remained silent for long minutes, after which the girl spoke.

"Okay, thanks for telling me" and stood up heading for the bedroom.

"That's all?" he asked, shocked, opening his arms.

"You already know what I think about it, I don't see why repeat the same things"

“You say you don't want children because you don't trust the world. Now think for a second when you held Mirai in your arms, and tell me if it's not worth it anyway"

The girl weighed his words for a moment, leaning her back against the wall and then staring at the ceiling.

“Let's assume for a moment that, as you say, it's worth it. I don't think I can be a good mother"

The boy was about to reply, when she raised her hand to silence him and went on:

“I never had parents, I never lived in a family situation or in an environment that could be defined as such. I don't know how to behave. I don't want to end up doing something wrong ... " the girl admitted.

“All these worries are normal, but they don't make you an inadequate parent. I believe that just because you didn't have parents, as much as it displeases me and makes me sad, you are also able to understand how you don't have to behave and what a child needs to grow well" he said underlining that with the tone of voice.

“Okay, I accept your view of the facts, but it all starts with the assumption that it's worth it. Now tell me: is it really worth it? We live in a world that is going adrift. There are wars, epidemics, famines. Everyone thinks only for himself and money seems to have become the most important thing. Do you really want your child to grow up in such a world? Could you stand it?"

“There are many tragedies and misfortunes in this world, but there are also many positive things worth living for. Don’t you think?"

"I believe that if we made a list, the bad things would far outweigh the good things"

"You know, at this moment I have just found yet another thing to add to the list of positive things" at those words she looked at him questioningly, so he continued:

"Convince you that it's worth it anyway" he said approaching her and giving her a kiss.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, then decided by mutual agreement that the time had come to put the topic aside and rest, it was now two in the morning and they would both work the next day.

So, they went to bed, each lost in his own thoughts.


	10. Changes

_Then, at once, evening became night.  
Sometimes there is no warning.   
Things occur in seconds.   
Everything changes.   
You´re alive.   
You´re dead.   
And the world goes on._

_\- Charles Bukowski_

Several months had passed since their conversation, neither of them had brought up the matter anymore and everything seemed to return to normal in their relationship, that shadow well-hidden deep in their hearts.

Those last months had been very intense and worrying: the possibility of a new war was approaching. The villagers went on with their lives, trusting that the valiant ninja of the village would protect them from any possible attack. For their part, the ninjas were in turmoil: the enemy was powerful and if they hadn’t joined forces they would have had no escape.

Then came the news of the outbreak of the war. The ninjas had been grouped into divisions and headed for the battlefields.

Shikamaru had greeted Naomi with a long hug, promising her that he would do his best. The girl had watched him go with the tears that blurred her vision. She had applied to be part of the medical division but, not being a ninja, she had not been allowed to go to the battlefield, having to stay in the Konoha hospital to accommodate the injuries that were brought there.

The news from the battlefields came distant and uncertain. Naomi spent sleepless nights and days immersed in work. She knew that Shikamaru was working hard and that he would do everything to return to her, but if she thought about the possibility that she might never see him again, a chasm opened in her chest and her breath was missing.

Then that day, suddenly, as white as the first snow of December, the news came: the war was over, the ninjas would soon return home.

Naomi knew there had been huge losses. As much as it hurt, she checked the death register daily, also aware of how incomplete they were. When she read Neji Hyuga's name, her eyes clouded over, incredulous at what she had just read. But apart from that name she hadn't recognized any others. She hoped that Shikamaru and all his friends would return safely to the village.

Shikamaru had returned from the last battle destroyed both physically and mentally. Like an automaton he had gone to his parents' house with an empty gaze and a boulder on his chest. When her mother had opened the door, the happiness of being in front of her son had immediately given way to dismay. When she had not seen the figure of Shikaku behind the young man and had crossed the latter's expression of grief, she immediately understood. She threw her arms around his son's neck and squeezed him with all her might. Although she was a strong and impassive woman, in that situation she had been unable to hold back the tears, which had begun to wet his son's shoulder, who at that contact had returned the embrace trying to console the mother. Then they entered the house surrounded by silence. Shikamaru was so distraught that he could not formulate a sentence of complete meaning. He wanted to support his mother and not leave her alone, however an invisible force in his chest pushed him to run to Naomi. Yoshino seemed to understand what gripped his son so she said:

“You should go to her. I need to be alone for a while, don't worry"

Shikamaru nodded, hugged her again placing a kiss on her cheek and left the house. Once outside he sat on the steps next to the gate, leaning his back against one of the pillars. A few seconds passed and then he heard it: her mother's cry of pain. He hit his head against the pillar a few times, each one stronger. Then he clenched his fists biting his lip hard and walked towards Naomi's house, hoping to find her there.

When Naomi had opened the door and found Shikamaru in front of her, she had thrown herself around his neck with tears in her eyes. The exhausted ninja had been unable to maintain his balance and both had found themselves on the ground in front of the home entrance. Naomi didn't care and rushed to kiss her partner, who slowly responded to the kiss. When they broke away and the girl met his gaze, she immediately understood that something else was hidden under the tiredness. Sorrow.

She took Shikamaru's hands in her continuing to look at him, took courage and gave voice to her doubts:

"How are the others?" she whispered uncertainly.

The boy looked away and in a colorless tone he pronounced:

"My team is fine, but my father, Inoichi and Neji, didn't make it"

Upon hearing those names pronounced Naomi raised a hand to her mouth incredulous, as big tears began to fall on her cheeks. After endless minutes she got up, grabbing Shikamaru by the jacket and forcing him to do the same. As in a deja vu dating back to Asuma's death, she led the boy into the house, made him lie down on the bed and remove his clothes. Then she took the first aid kit, mechanically beginning to medicate all the small wounded of the ninja without making a sound. Shikamaru stared at the ceiling, while occasionally a small grimace of pain emerged on his face. When Naomi had finished her dressings, she covered him with the blanket and lay down next to him, embracing him. After a few minutes the young man's breathing became lighter and more uniform, falling into a deep sleep.

The days and weeks had followed one another busy and heavy. There had been the count of the dead and the wounded, the hospitals were very crowded and the doctors and nurses worked on very long shifts. When the situation of the injured had stabilized and the reconstruction projects for the village began, the time came for the funeral arrangements for the victims. The ninjas had taken part in countless funeral ceremonies and when it was the turn of the one dedicated to Shikaku both Shikamaru and his team and Naomi were now empty of any feelings and emotions. Shikamaru was standing next to his mother and Naomi was on the other side. Yoshino nervously wiped the side of her eyes, while the young ninja stared intently at his father's photo. Naomi occasionally brushed with her hand the boy’s next to her trying to make him feel her presence and trying not to shed even a tear, not at that moment. It was now a good two weeks since the shinobi returned to the village and yet in all that time, although Shikamaru was sad and distant, he hadn't shed a single tear. Naomi watched helplessly at her partner, alternating moments in which she tried to comfort him with moments in which she left him some space for himself. He, on the other hand, had many issues to deal with and the rest of his free time he tried to spend with his mother, feeling worried every time he left her alone.

It was partly for this reason and partly for practical reasons that Shikamaru, about a week after his father's funeral, found himself facing an issue that tormented him with Naomi. That evening they dined together, each immersed in their own silence and fatigue, as was the custom in recent times. Then all of a sudden, the dark-haired man took the floor, explaining to the woman his worries for his mother alone in that immense house that at every moment did nothing but remind her of the man she had lost in such a tragic way. He also informed the girl that, since he was the only son of the main house of the Nara clan, some members of the clan had begun to pressure him to take officially his place as head clan. Naomi listened carefully. Then Shikamaru continued:

“I think that for these reasons, the best thing for me is to go back to live in my parents' house. In this way I would be more relaxed about my mother and I would be able to better manage the affairs of the clan. Not to mention the fact that starting next month I will officially start the new job as Hokage’s advisor, previously held by my father" he said sadly.

Naomi, frankly, did not expect Shikamaru to want to leave that house to return to his childhood’s one, but after listening to his reasons she realized that this was the best solution. She was thinking about how lonely she would feel in that apartment without him when Shikamaru, sensing her partner's thoughts, preceded her:

“I've already talked to my mother about it and both she and I would be very happy if you move in with me” he said with a slight genuine smile, which the girl didn't seem to see in centuries. That smile and the news she had just been given, prompted her to smile too. She got up from her chair and sat on Shikamaru's lap, giving him a long and deep kiss and happily accepting his proposal.

More than two months had already passed since that evening. The couple had moved to the Nara house and, although initially Naomi felt disoriented, she was starting to get used to the new environment and the new routine. Yoshino, despite being still deeply in mourning, tried to go on and distract herself, and was very kind and helpful with Naomi. Often Yoshino and the two spent a few hours a day taking care of Mirai, helping Kurenai, who had returned to work to support the village in that difficult situation. The little girl was growing visibly and just watching her smile and interact curiously with the world around her seemed to bring joy and tranquility to the adults around her. Shikamaru had been very attentive to his teacher's daughter and often Naomi found herself observing them together and smiling, occasionally thinking back to that dialogue that the two had had what seemed an eternity ago.

In the meantime, Naomi had resumed her lessons at university and the situation in the hospital had calmed down, giving her a few more hours free. Shikamaru had been appointed chieftain and counselor of the Hokage and worked tirelessly. The reconstruction of the village was almost finished and the life of its inhabitants was finally turning to normal, to the delight of all.

Shikamaru's team and friends had worked hard to rebuild the village and lately, having begun to relax after the excellent results, they had started going out and gathering together to eat or just to have a drink and be in company. Naomi now felt part of the group and often joined them, thanking them as the situation had improved and that atmosphere of peace was bringing tranquility into the lives of the young people. After the experience of the war, the young ninja were now more serious and mature and numerous couples were born among the circle of friends.

Then one Sunday morning in early spring, Naomi squeezed something in her hands, staring in disbelief at her reflected figure in the bathroom mirror: the drama happened.


	11. After all

_"She asked him one of those days if it was true,_  
as the songs said, that love could do anything.   
“It's true” he replied “but you'd better not believe it.”

_\- Gabriel García Márquez_

Naomi was still standing in the same position when she heard Shikamaru and his mother returning from a meeting with the clan. She quickly hid what she had in her hand in the pocket of the pajama pants she was wearing and headed downstairs, forcing herself to smile as she greeted the two Nara. Yoshino immediately went to the kitchen and began preparing lunch. Shikamaru and Naomi sat on the porch, enjoying the light sun. While the ninja checked some reports that he was supposed to deliver the next day, Naomi was reading a book. Or rather, the book was in front of her, open at the same page for a good half hour as she kept staring at those words without actually reading them, immersed in her thoughts, trying to chase away the sense of panic that had assailed her that morning.

Shikamaru seemed to notice:

"Everything okay?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, sure. I just remembered that I absolutely have to go to the hospital to take care of a matter, don’t wait me for lunch" she said as she got up running going to change her clothes and then she went out leaving Shikamaru slightly in confusion.

When she arrived at the hospital, she locked herself in the laboratory of analysis, responding evasively to some nurses who did not expect to find her there that day. She sat down at the counter chair, taking what she needed and collecting a small amount of blood from the vein in her arm, then poured it into the test tube to analyze it and sat uncomfortably in the chair waiting for the results in agitation.

What she was holding in her hand that morning and which had left her incredulous and gasping was a positive pregnancy test.

She tried to analyze the situation calmly and coldly. She had been feeling strange for a couple of weeks, she had measured her fever and conducted some small tests, but after excluding any pathology she found herself having to consider the only option left, which was that all those symptoms could only indicate one thing: a pregnancy. She reached those conclusions on Saturday evening, while she was returning home from the hospital, so she stopped at the first pharmacy she found and bought a pregnancy test with sweaty hands. Once she got home, she hid it, not wanting to show it to either Shikamaru or Yoshino. On Sunday morning, taking advantage of the absence of the two, she took the test not having the faintest idea of what to expect. When she read the positive result, she was petrified. She could not understand how it was possible that she was pregnant, since she regularly took the pill. Taken by anxiety, she was unable to reason objectively, she only knew that at the moment she could not tell Shikamaru, she had to be absolutely sure. There was a slight possibility that the test showed a false positive, so she decided to do a blood test to dispel any doubts. Now, sitting in that laboratory chair torturing her shaking hands, she watched the machine as she waited for the test to finish and reveal the result. She was too agitated to stay still, so she got up and paced the length and breadth of the room, putting her hands to her mount and nervously nibbling her nails. She was turned away when the machine emitted the classic sound that indicated the end of the work and the emission of the analysis results. She stopped in terror, still from behind, then took a deep breath and approached the screen. Her breath caught when she read the red capital letters: POSITIVE. There was no doubt now, she was pregnant. But how was it possible?! Her legs gave out and she found herself slumped on the floor, her back against the legs of the chair. She tried to concentrate by chasing away that temporary blackout she had just had.

'Okay, calm down, think ... how could this have happened?' She wondered to herself, retracing those last few weeks and the sex she had had with Shikamaru.

Then, how out of the blue, she had a revelation that petrified her on the spot. It happened about last month. That day, with an official statement, the Hokage had decreed the end of the state of emergency, confirming that the country was recovering and the economy getting better. There was an atmosphere of euphoria in the streets, so Naomi, Shikamaru and their friends had gathered in the usual bar to celebrate. They had drunk a lot. Even Naomi, who usually always gave herself a demeanor, encouraged by the boys, had left her self-control aside, gulping down one alcoholic drink after another. She staggered home, arm in arm with Shikamaru, also tipsy. Not being used to consuming such a large amount of alcohol shortly after returning home, she found herself kneeling on the bathroom floor throwing up even her soul. Thinking back to that episode, Naomi produced a grimace of disgust. There was no other explanation, exactly what she feared must have happened: since she used to take the pill late in the evening, probably that time together with alcohol she had also vomited that pill, thus ruining the contraceptive effect. Of course, being a doctor, she knew well that skipping the pill one day in most cases did not lead to pregnancy, but there was still a 1% chance that this would happen and she realized at that moment that she was just the 1% of the cases. She stuck her fingernails into the palms of her hands curling up on herself as salty tears began to roll down her face.

What would she do now?

She had two options: to tell Shikamaru everything and decide together what to do, and already knowing how the boy thought about it, she was sure that he would have liked to keep the baby. Or say nothing to anyone, swallow the tears and have an abortion. She thought for a moment about the second possibility, but she immediately realized how wrong it was and that she could not do such a wrong to the boy she loved so much.

She took a deep breath as she rose from the ground and wiped away her tears. She decided she would go home, discuss it with Shikamaru and decide together what to do.

It was now two o’clock in the afternoon when she returned home. She found Shikamaru still on the porch, staring at a chessboard of shogi, slowly moving the pieces.

"Hey" he greeted her.

"Hey" she replied, slowly sitting next to him, pale as a ghost.

"Everything okay? You look shocked” he asked.

"Actually, I am" she whispered dazed, worrying the boy. But before the latter could speak, she added:

"Where is Yoshino?"

“She went out with Choji's mother's, she’ll come back for dinner time. Now tell me what's going on" he asked apprehensively, grabbing her hand.

“Take some deep breaths. You won't believe what I'm about to tell you. Even I still can't realize it, although there is no doubt"

The genius looked at her with curiosity mixed with apprehension. Then he took a deep breath as she had asked him, waiting for her to start talking again.

"I'm pregnant” she said in one breath with a whisper, continuing to stare the boy in the eye. He remained motionless for a few seconds, as if nothing had been said to him, his gaze lost and his breath so light that she began to worry. When she waved her hand an inch from his face he seemed to return to reality.

"What?" he asked, blinking a few times.

"I know, it seems absurd, but I just came back from the laboratory and the analyzes leave no doubt"

"How is it possible?" he said incredulously in a faint voice.

“I thought about it for a long time, it must have happened that night we got drunk. I probably threw up the pill I took shortly before and, although there are very few possibilities, it is still possible to get pregnant by skipping even a single day” she said bitterly.

Shikamaru took a few seconds to process that information. He was about to give a slight smile on his lips, when he overwhelmingly realized how the girl thought about it, then hesitant, terrified by the answer he could hear, he asked in a trembling voice:

"What do you want to do?"

"I think the right question is what we want to do, plural"

"You're right, but the body is yours anyway, the last decision is up to you"

They both lost themselves in their own thoughts as their gazes wandered around the garden which was beginning to fill with fresh and colorful flowers. Then the ninja broke that silence.

"Okay, I have a proposal" he said drawing the woman's attention to himself and continuing "it's a big and unexpected news for both of us, I think the best thing is to take a few days to elaborate and reflect on it. Next weekend we'll talk about it and decide what to do, what do you think?"

“Okay, but promise me one thing: don't tell anyone about this and when we talk about it again promise me, we won't keep anything for ourselves. Whatever goes through our heads, however hard it may be or hurt the other, we will say it"

"All right. Anyway, for anything, I'm here for you” Shikamaru said softly, kissing her cheek. Then he sat better in the chair, taking her hand, and they both stayed out there immersed in their thoughts for an indefinite time.

The week passed. It was Saturday night, the couple had dined with Yoshino, after which they had gone out to that little hill in the Nara land where Shikamaru used to go when he wanted to stay alone. It was time to address the issue.

That week had flown by. The people around the two teenagers had noticed some change in both of them. Naomi had canceled all her lessons, devoting herself only to the hospital and taking the remaining time for herself. Shikamaru had continued as always his work for the Hokage, training with his team and meeting with the clan, however he was distant and elusive, forcing the people next to him to draw his attention several times.

Now they were sitting on the slightly damp grass of the hill staring at the full moon and the stars that surrounded it, their hearts were beating frantically and the tension was high.

After endless minutes of silence, Naomi spoke up.

"Then? What conclusions have you reached?" she threw it without much preamble.

“I've thought about it for a long time. We basically have three options in front of us: the first is to keep the child and raise him as a family” he said, glaring sideways at the possible reactions of the girl next to him. "The second is to carry the pregnancy to term and then opt for adoption, finally the third is abortion. Now let's examine them one by one and tell me what you think"

"Initially I hadn’t considered adoption, these days I have thought about it, but I don't think I will be able to continue living peacefully with myself knowing that I have a child out there who knows where" Naomi said with a hint of sadness, continuing "And the first thing I thought about, as you can imagine, is abortion, but thinking about it with a cold mind I don't think I will be able to live with myself after making such a decision. However, the first option seems so distant and unachievable to me, I really can't see myself in the role of a mother” she confessed, starting to sob silently.

Shikamaru gently placed a hand on her shoulder with understanding.

“Naomi, I've been thinking about it for a long time. I know this may seem obvious to you, but of course I'm for growing up the child of our own. As you said, I believe that an abortion would weigh too much on our consciences and, in all honesty, I believe that such a choice would bring our story to an end and I don't want to, I love you too much to live without you. An option could be adoption but think about it for a moment: there is nothing that an adoptive family could give to our child that we cannot" when Shikamaru pronounced the words 'our child', Naomi's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected it, but those words sounded so beautiful from the man's lips. Then he continued with the speech:

"We have a roof over our heads, we have the financial means we need, we have family and friends willing to support us and help us in every situation and, above all, we have love" he said with conviction, supporting the wet gaze of the girl, who had listened to him in silence.

“Naomi” he called her attention again, “I don't want to force you to do anything you aren't convinced of, but think about when we're with Mirai. I am sure that you will be an excellent mother and together we will be a family, and I promise that I will do everything to make you happy and not make you miss anything, neither you nor the baby" he paused, carefully observing the woman and drying some of her tears with his left hand. After minutes of silence from the woman he insisted:

"Tell me something, please" he pleaded.

The girl's chest was bursting, pervaded by a mixture of conflicting emotions and feelings of an intensity never experienced before. Her head throbbed hard too, at the mercy of all those thoughts. She made him wait a few more minutes, hanging from her lips, then she decided to give voice to her thoughts, abandoning herself to the emotions of that moment and the sensations that Shikamaru's words had aroused in her, then finally she spoke:

“Shikamaru, you told me in the past that you would put all your strength into always coming back to me and, even after a war, you did. Maybe it took me forever but I think I finally understood what the fundamental thing is. I realized that I don't have to have faith in the world: I just need to have faith in you. Together we will be able to raise this child. I want to have a family with you" she said in one breath. Shikamaru at those words felt light as a cloud but, above all, happy. A tear streaked down his cheek.

“I promise you everything will be fine. Together we will face anything” after a short pause he added an I love you, capturing her in a kiss full of all the feelings he felt for that girl.

When they broke apart, they both smiled.

"I love you too" Naomi replied.

The couple had never felt so happy and at peace with the world before. Even if won’t be easy, everything would be fine. Together they would go through anything.


End file.
